Crystal Moon
by Chris Star
Summary: Usagi's memories of the Silver Millennium are not as accurate as she thought. An incident with the Garnet Rod sends the Senshi back in time, where Usagi will be reunited with her first love... and face the truth of what happened a thousand years ago.
1. Prologue

The silver-haired hanyou child sniffled as he stared down into the lake at his feet, the water reflecting the full moon hanging in the night sky above him. He was... all alone now. She was gone... she wasn't coming back. He felt a lump rising in his throat as he choked back a sob, but that didn't stop the tears from falling from his golden eyes.

"What's the matter?"a female voice questioned. The boy glanced behind him in surprise. Several feet away stood a little girl about his age. She had crystal blue eyes and golden hair. Her hair was tied up in two buns, a short pigtail hanging from each bun to about the length of her chin. She wore a blue dress that he vaguely recongized as being cut in a western style.

"Who... who are you?"he asked hesitantly, quickly wiping his tears away to hide the fact he'd been crying in the first place. The girl walked up beside him, gazing up at him curiously.

"My name's Serenity. What's yours?"

"I-InuYasha..."

"Is it okay if I call you Inu-chan?"she asked with a wide smile. InuYasha blushed. She was so pretty...

"I... I guess so.."

"Why were you crying, Inu-chan?"she asked, sitting at the edge of the lake. She removed her blue flat-heeled shoes, letting her feet dangle in the water. InuYasha sat beside her, again staring glumly into the water.

"My... my mommy... died..."he said, tears rising in his eyes again.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." the girl murmured sympathetically. She noticed the boy was close to tears again. She reached a hand out to him, gently stroking his long silver hair. After a few moments, the hanyou calmed down.

"Serenity... You're... not scared of me?"

The girl tilted her head. "Why would I be scared of you, Inu-chan?"

"Well... my ears... and claws... I'm a hanyou..."

"So?"InuYasha looked up in shock at the response. "Who your parents are deosn't determine who you are. Your parents could both have been the most murderous, blood-thirsty youkai in existance, but you could be nothing like that. You could just be a sweet, gently little boy."

InuYasha managed a small smile. "Thanks, Serenity."

"No problem"she smiled. She placed slight pressure where her hand was on his head, urging him to lay his head on her lap. He did so with a slight blush. The gold-haired girl continued to gently stroke his long, silver hair.

"Where're you from, Serenity?"

"I'm from the moon!"the girl said cheerfully.

"Huh? From the moon?!"he looked up in shock from where his head lay in her lap.

"Uh-huh! I'm the princess of the Moon Kingdom. But don't tell anyone, 'kay? It's a secret."she said, holding a finger against her lips.

"Oh... Um.. Okay."

"Good."she nodded, continuing to stroke his hair. InuYasha felt himself beginning to drift off to sleep.

"I miss my mommy..."the hanyou murmured sadly. "She used to sing to me when I was fallin' asleep..."

"I can sing to you if you want."

"I-If you're sure you're okay with it..."

"Sure. My mommy sings this lullabye to me all the time.

"Kikasete natsukashii uta wo

tooku de kuchizusande

seinaru mitsu no you ni yume no you ni

sono naka de nemurasete

Doushite sekai wa sakasa ni muryoku ni nagareteku no?

Yuuyake

itsuka mita akane kumo

soba ni irenai sono kawari ni

Gin-iro no ame ga futte kitara watashi da to omotte

namida wo fuite

Massugu ni hada ni ochiru ryuusei

furitsudzukete sono kata ni amurita

Daichi ga naite iru yoru wo

kanjiru kokoro de ite

anata no kizuguchi ga itamu nara

sora ni negai no yumiya wo utsu

Gin-iro no ame ga futte kitara watashi da to omotte

jikan wo tomete

Chiheisen hibiki wataru shizuku

tashika na mono

ano hibi ni amurita

Gin-iro no ame ga futte kitara watashi da to omotte

namida wo fuite

Massugu ni hada ni ochiru ryuusei

anata ni furu ame ni naru amurita..."

Author Note:And... there's the prologue for you. Each chapter will be given a "theme song", which may or may not be included in the chapter itself. This concept was inspired by the game "Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure". In the case of the prologue, the song is included (Serenity's lullabye). The proglogue's theme is "Amrita" by Yui Makino, from the anime "Tsubasa Chronicles". Links are provided to download and lyric sources.

Also, despite my efforts to look it up, I can't figure out when and how Izayoi died. If anyone knows for a fact that she did not die when InuYasha was a child, I apologize to everyone for the mistake.

I'd also like to explain something to avoid flames on a specific subject. If you think about the facts, it's plausible that if the two anime occured in the same universe, Serenity and InuYasha could have met. The Silver Millennium occured 1000 years in the past, and we all know Serenity had a bad habit of going to Earth. The Feudal Era where InuYasha's group exists occurred 500 years in the past, but InuYasha was born 500 years prior to the events of the series-in other words, 1000 years ago. When you consider these time lines, it is quite possible for Serenity and InuYasha to have met as children.

"Amrita"

/amusic/?filter=amrita

.


	2. Chapter 1:Setsuna's Story

A slight frown creased Usagi's features as her crystal blue eyes fluttered open, her dream still pulling at the corner of her vision.

"Inu... chan...?"she murmured, staring up at her cieling through the darkness of her room. "Why does that sound so... familar?"

~~~

"Usagi-chan, are you alirhgt?"Ami asked concernedly. "You look like you havent' been sleeping well."

"Yeah, Ami-chan's right."Makoto frowned. "you have dark circles under your eyes."

"It's no big deal."the blond assured her friends. "I've just been having these... weird dreams lately."

"Weird dreams?"Rei frowned, remembering the dreams and visions she'd been having in the months before the Silence. "Usagi..."

"Oh, don't worry, Rei-chan, it's nothing serious!"Usagi waved a hand dismissively. "I'm positive it's not a premonition or anything like that."

The miko's frown deepened. "Well... if you're sure..."

"Positive!"the blond smiled brightly. "Now, c'mon, I'm hungry!"

"You're always hungry."Minako pointed out, laughing softly.

"Am not!"Usagi whined, pouting before linking her arms with Makoto and Minako's. "C'mon, you guys, let's go to Crown!"

~~~

Pluto frowned as she kept her gaze fixed on the Time Gates. And odd, silver glow had been emenating from them for the past several days. One didn't need to have guarded the Gates for two millennia as she had in order to know that that was not normal.

"I must warn Queen Serenity."

~~~

"And Serenity said the Gates were more likely to effect us in our time than in the Neo-Silver Millennium?"Rei asked with a frown as she passed tea to the group of Senshi-including the Outers- gathered in her bedroom.

"That's right."Setsuna nodded, gazing solemnly down at her hands folded in her lap.

"But... why?"Hotaru questioned.

"I don't know..."

"Usaki..." Mamoru began slowly. "I'm not sure it's completely coincidence that this is happening now, with the those dreams you've been having."

"Hey, Mamoru could be right!"Makoto said.

"Dreams?"Setsuna said, glancing up at the Moon Princess.

"Y-yeah..."Usagi said before describing her dream.

"Did you say InuYasha?!"exclaimed Setsuna.

"You know that name, Setsuna-san?"asked Usagi. "Who is he?"

Setsuna was silent for a few moments. "Before I can explain him, I must first explain... some significant differences between the Earth of now and the past. During the era of the Silver Millennium, Earth was not inhabited only by humans. There also existed many species of demons-youkai."

"Youkai?!"Rei's eyes widened in fascination.

"Yes. Earth was the only planet of the Posiverse to have youkai. Those with youkai blood still exist today, but pure youkai died out about two-hundred years ago. Most of those who do possess youkai blood are unaware of it, and even of the fact that youkai ever existed. Most youkai were vile creatures who preyed upon humans. But there were those that came to love the human world-and in some cases, humans. That was the case with Inu-no-Taishou, an inu youkai. He fell in love with a human maiden by the name Izayoi. They had a son together-InuYasha."

"Could that... be the same inuYasha from my dream?"Usagi asked.

"I'm certian of it."Setsuna nodded. "Because..."

Before Setsuna coudl finish her sentence, the Time Staff resting on the floor before her began to glow. She gasped, her eyes widening in shock as the same silver glow that had over taken theTime Gate's began emenating from the Staff.

"Wh-what's going on?!"Usagi exclaimed, shilding her eys from the light. If any of the others said anything, she was unable to hear them. A moment later, her body began tipping forward toward the Staff, as if the onject had developed it's own gravitational pull. The nuext thing she knew, everything had gone dark...

Author's Note: I realize things are starting off kinda slowly, but I never was the best when it comes to STARTING stories... I'm hoping I can pick things up once Serenity and Inu-chan are reunited. =w=

The theme for the first chapter is "Kono Yo Ga Hatetemo Hanarenai" by Day-break. English translation of the title is "Even if This World Comes to an End, I Won't Leave You". It's the ending theme of Ayashi no Ceres (English title-Ceres:Celestial Legend). For those interested, the song can be downloaded on gendou (dot) com. You need a username on the site to download music, but membership is free. Unfortunately, there are SOME things on the site that can only be downloaded by people who've made donations, but none of the music is among those things. (^.^) 


	3. Chapter 2:Shikon Moon

"Stupid woman," InuYasha grumbled, walking through the forest outside Kaede's Village with his arms folded behind his head. He and Kagome had gotten into yet another argument, resulting in the hanyou throwing a fit and leaving the village.

"She thinks she's so much better than me... Would it kill her to miss ONE of those stupid tests?!"

With another huff, InuYasha jumped up into the nearest tree, perching on a thich protruding branch. He leaned back against the trunk, closing his golden eyes. He listened to the soft sound of th wind blowing through the trees, the birds singing cheerfully. It had been a long time since he'd been able to relax peacefully like this...

Suddenly, InuYasha felt a surge of energy nearby. His eyes quickly flew open. Off in the forest, he saw what appeared to be a pillar of silver light.

"What... the hell...?" he muttered, watching as the light began to fade away. Hesitating for only a moment, InuYasha quickly took off in he direction he'd seen the light in. His hand rested on the hilt of Tetsusaiga, just to be on the safe side. He came to a halt upon arriving at his destination. He saw an unconscious figure slumped on the ground. The woman wore clothing that he knew from knowing Kagome for so long were from the modern era. She wore a shin-length white skirt and matching denim jacket over a light blue shirt, accompanied by white socks and sneakers. She lay face down, so he couldn't make out her face, but her long blond hair was held in two ponytails topped with perfectly rounded buns.

"Who the heck is this girl?" InuYasha grumbled, releasing his sword. He knelt down besdie the figure and gently rolled her over. His eyes widened in shock when he saw her face.

"N-no way... it can't be..."

~_~_~_~_~_~

Usagi sighed softly as her eyes fluttered open. She frowned when she laid eyeson her surroundings. She appeared to be in a old hut, lying on a mat beside a sunken fireplace. She sat up slowly, glancing around in confusion.

"Oh, you're awake!"said a voice. Usagi turned to the doorway. A girl about two or three years younger than her with black hair and brown eyes stood there. She wore a sailor-style junior high uniform with a green skirt and collar and red scarf.

"Are you feeling alright? InuYasha said he found you unconscious."

"I-InuYasha?"Usagi's eyes widened.

"Mm-hmm. You're a friend of his, ne, Serenity-san?" blue eyes widened further. "He was really worried about you. We nearly had to knock him out to calm him down. You guys must be really close, huh?"

"Um... he called me... Serenity?"

"Yeah. That's your name, right?"

"IT... It was. In my previous life."

"Previous life? So you're a reincarnation, too?"

"Huh? 'Too'? You mean... you are, too?"

"Yup! My name's Higurashi Kagome! I'm the reincarnation of a preistess named Kikyo."

"I'm Tsukino Usagi. I guess you already know I used to be called Serenity."

"Right. I don't really have any memories from when I was Kikyo, so I guess you don't really remember being Serenity either, huh?"

"I remember a little. Not much. Mostly of right before I died back then. But... I've been having these dreams lately. When I was little... that's when I met him... but that's all I remember about him."

"Hm, I see... I don't think he'll be too happy about that..."

"Serenity's awake?!"a voice exclaimed outside. "Let me see her!"

Usagi looked up to the doorway man with long, silver hair wearing a red kimono in surprise. He looked just like the little boy she'd seen in her dreams, but older.

"I... nu... -chan?" she said hesitantly.

"Serenity..."he murmured. "It... It's really you..."

"So... it wasn't just a dream..."Usagi murmured. "You're real..."

"Huh?"InuYasha blinked.

"InuYasha... she doesn't... really remember you. See, she was Serenity in a pevious life. All she remembers of you is in her dreams."

"No... no way..."the hanyou muttered, staring down at the former Moon Princess. He clenched his fist, not saying anything else.

"You'll get used to his grumpiness." Kagome assured the blond, patting her shoulder sympathetically.

"Wait a minute!"Usagi suddenly remembered something. "Was there anyone else where InuYasha found me?!"

"I didn't see anyone."InuYasha answered. "Why?"

"My friends... they were with me when I was brought here. Where... where IS here anyway?"

"You're in the Feudal Era."Kagome explained. ''About five hundred years in the past."

"No way..."Usagi murmured. "Could this be because of Setsuna-san's staff...?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Usagi-chan?"asked Kagome.

"Never mind. It's... complicated. Listen, I need to find my friends. I need to be sure they're safe."

"We'll help."InuYasha said immediately. Kagome looked at him in shock. "Kagome, can you go and let the others know?"

"Huh?" Oh, um... sure..." Kagome stood and walked from the hut.

"Inu_chan, thank you, but you don't have to do this..."Usagi murmured.

"I know. But I want to."InuYasha said, not looking at her.

"Thank you."

~_~_~_~_~_~

"Ah, so this is the lovely Serenity-sama!"Miroku beamed. "It's lovely to meet you! Tell me, miss, would you be interested in being the mo-"

"Hands off, pervert monk!"InuYasha shouted, hitting Miroku in the back of the head as he reached for Usagi's hand.

You'll have to excuse the lech."Sango sighed. "He's like that with all women... I'm sorry, Serenity-sama."

"Oh, you can call me Usagi-chan."Usagi said sweetly. "Technically, I'm really not Serenity anymore, and I hate it when people call me 'sama'."

"Okay then, Usagi-chan."the taijiya smiled softly.

~_~_~_~_~_~

"Youkai, huh...?"Usagi murmured as she walked beside Kagome, Shippou perched on her shoulder like Luna often did. "Setsuna-san told me about them. Well, shouldn't be too big a problem to handle."

"Are you serious?"Kagome blinked a the blond.

"Yup. I've fought lots of monsters before- youma, cardians, droids, daimon, lemure, phage..."

"Wow..."Kagome murmured before suddenly stopping. "InuYasha! I sense a shard close by!"

"Which way?"the hanyou asked, immediately drawing Tetsusaiga.

"It's just ahead!"the miko said, grabbin the bow slung across her shoulder. InuYasha took off ahead of the group, and the others followed as quickly as they could being much slower than the half-youkai. Once they'd caught up, they found him already battling what appeared to be a badger demon that was easily at least nine feet tall.

"Dammit! Kagome, where's the shard?"

"In his chest!"

InuYasha slashed the Tetsusaiga upward, trying to cut open the youkai's chest. However, it's skin was much tougher than it looked, and the blade had no effect.

"Dammit!"InuYasha cursed. "This is gonna be a real pain in the ass."

"Wow..."Usagi murmured to herself. "That's... a lot bigger than I expected..."The blond paused for a moment before reaching for the locket in her jacket pocket.

"Moon Eternal!" InuYasha glanced back at the Moon Princes, his features showing confusion. "Make Up!"

A few moments later, Eternal Sailor Moon stood before the group.

"What... the hell?"InuYasha muttered. "Serenity?"

Sailor Moon chuckled nervously. "Guess I should have explained this earlier, huh? See, as Usagi, I'm pretty much useless. In order to fight... I transform into Sailor Moon."

"Sailor... Moon...?"InuYasha murmured. A moment later, he had to quickly dodge-roll out of th way as the youkai swiped at him.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

The golden disk of energy struck the youkai in the leg, and it howled loudly in pained anger. Growling, the youkai immediately lunged toward Sailor Moon.

"Serenity!"InuYasha exclaimed. Sango quickly dashed ahead of Sailor Moon, blocking the youkai's attack with her Hiraikotsu.

"Usagi-chan... you okay?"

"Y-yeah. Thanks, Sango-chan." the Eternal Tier appeared in the blond's hands. "I need you guys to distract it for a little bit. Can you do that?"

"No problem!"Kagome nodded, quickly loading an arrow into her bow. Sailor Moon closed her eyes, feathers swirling around her body as she summoned the Tier's power.

"Silver Moon! Crystal Power Kiss!"

The youkai howled again in pain, seeming to disintegrate in the golden light enveloping it. The creature crumbled into dust, a jewel shard falling on top of the pile.

"Wow..."Kagome murmured. "Usagi-chan, that was amazing!"

"Really?"Sailor Moon giggled. "Thanks, Kagome-chan!"

The blond stepped over to the youkai's remains before kneeling down and picking up the small jewel shard. She gasped as the shard began glowing, feeling the Ginzuishou in her locket pulsing in response. The light enveloped her body, and she watched as her fuku changed shape. Her wings vanished as her tiara reappeared across her forehead, it's stone and the orbs in her hair fading into white. Her sleeves shrank back into the small rolls of cloth they had originally been, but remained the same light shade of pink. The feathers fell away from her hair and gloves, the color of the bands on her gloves changing. The bands attached directly to the gloves were still red, but the center ones were blue, and the ones at the end were golden yellow. Once the bands had changed, the gloves themselves transformed. Her hands were uncovered, and the gloves became long, white kimono sleeves. The three layered skirts melded into a single pleated skirt, but the pleats were patterned in the three colors-yellow, the red, and finally blue before starting at yellow again. The wings that had once replaced the bow on her chest vanished along with the long, thin ribbon falling from the back of her skirt, both replaced by her original red bows. The light around her faded, and she blinked as she studied the change in her fuku.

"What... in the world?"

"You must have absorbed some of the shard's power..."Kagome speculated. "In addition to your own."

"Oh... I see..."she blinked again before handing the shard over to Kagome. Her form glittered, and her fuku faded back into her normal clothing.

"Let's get going!"InuYasha ordered, sheathing Tetsusaiga. "We won't find Serenity's friends just standing around here!"

Author's Note:Second chapter done, whoo-hoo! Obviously, Inu-chan is not very happy that Usagi doesn't really remember him...

The theme song for this chapter is "Time Hollow" by Akita Masanori. It's originally from the game by the same title. Anyone who's interested can download it on aimini (dot) net.

I know some people might find my choice of assigning the chapters theme songs to be dumb, but I actually find it kinda fun to read each chapter while listening to its assigned theme. XD


	4. Chapter 3:Miko :Priestess:

_Serenity reached a hand down to straighten her pink skirt after arriving on the Earth's surface again. The now eleven-year-old Moon Princess' hair had grown to reach half-way down her back. _

_ "Serenitiy!"_

_ Serenity looked up, smiling as she saw InuYasha running over to her, a wide smile on the hanyou's face._

_ "Hi, Inu-chan!"the Moon Princess smiled at her friend. _

_ "You're later than usual... I almost thought you weren't going to come."_

_ "Of course I was going to come, silly."Serenity giggled. "But you know I have to sneak here. If Kasei finds out I came here again, she'll be mad..."_

_ "Kasei?"_

_ "She's one of my guardians."the Princess explained. "See, the Princesses of the other planets are kinda like my bodyguards. Kasei is the Princess of Mars. She can be kind of a meanie sometimes, but it's just cause she's trying to protect me. They all are. I just wish Suisei would stop making me study so much."_

_ InuYasha laughed softly at his friend's pout. _

_ "You have a lot of friends, huh, Serenity? I'm kinda jealous... You're the only friend I have."_

_ Serenity frowned, noticing her friend suddenly looked sad. She reached a hand out, gently patting his head and scratching lightly behind his ears like one would do to a kitten. The small hanyou blushed slightly, but didn't do anything to stop her. She was his friend, after all. He knew she wasn't doing it in a condescending manner or meaning to be mean. _

_ "Serenity... you'll always be my friend... right?"_

_ Serenity smiled. "Of course, Inu-chan!"_

~_~_~_~_~

Usagi's eyes fluttered open and she silently took in her surroundings. She was lying on the forest floor beside a campfire. Shippou was curled up against her side cat-like, and Miroku, Sango, and Kagome were sleeping near the fire as well. She sat up slowly, looking around in search of InuYasha.

"Serenity, something wrong?"InuYasha's voice sounded behind her. She turned to find the red-clad hanyou perched in a tree, Tetsusaiga across his lap.

"No. I just... had a strange dream, that's all."

"I see..."

"I think..."the blond murmured quietly. "I think my memories of you are coming back in my dreams."

"Really?!"he looked at her expectantly.

"Yeah. But... it's still nothing major. Mostly just as hanging out as kids..."

"Oh..."

"InuYasha... just how old are you anyway?"

InuYasha sighed. "I was born about five hundred years ago."

"But... you barely look any older than me!"

"Well, I am a hanyou, Serenity. Youkai age much more slowly than humans do. And since I'm half-youkai, the same applies to me."

"I see..."she murmured. "And how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not Serenity anymore. Just call me Usagi."

The hanyou sighed. "I've always called you Serenity. That's not going to change now."

"Well, you don't call Kagome-chan Kikyo."

"That's different."

"How so?"

"It just... is."

Usagi sighed. "You're so stubborn..."

There was a long silence between the two.

"Hey... Serenity..."

"Yeah?"

"If... If you ever remember anything... from around the time you were fourteen... let me know... okay?"

"Sure."she nodded, but frowned slightly. Hadn't Serenity been fourteen when the Mon Kingdom had fallen? What else had happened in that year...?

~_~_~_~_~

"Now that you mention it..."the old woman Usagi had been speaking with said. "A young girl did arrive in the village not too long ago. A miko. She's been protecting the village from youkai."

"Really?! Do you know where I could find her."

"I believe she's staying in the temple near the waterfall."

"Thank you very much, ma'am!"Usagi bowed before turning to her friends as the old woman continued on her way. "That might be Rei-chan!"

"One of your friends is a miko, Usagi-chan?"Kagome questioned as the group made their way to the temple the old woman had mentioned.

"Uh-huh. Hino Rei. She's also a Sailor Senshi. Sailor Mars. She can control fire."

"Really?!"Shippo exclaimed excitedly from his perch on Usagi's shoulder. "That's so cool!"

"Can I help you?"Usagi glanced up at the sound of the voice to see an old priest standing in the doorway to the temple.

"Um... I think a friend of mine might be here."Usagi said. "Her name is Rei."

"You're a friend of Rei-san's?"the priest smiled kindly. "I see. Please, come in and I'll fetch her."

The priest led the group to a small room before leaving to search out Rei. The group sat in silence for a few minutes before the sliding paper door slowly opened.

"Usagi?"

"Rei-chan!"Usagi quickly stood, throwing her arms around the white and red-clad miko. Rei stood frozen in shock for a few moments before wrapping her own arms around her friend.

"Oh, my god! I don't believe it! You're actually okay! What about the others?"

"I haven't found them yet."Usagi said as she pulled back slightly. "You're the first one I've found. Oh!"Usagi turned to face the group. "Guys, this is Rei-chan. Rei-chan, that's Kagome-chan, Sango-chan, Miroku, Shippou, and InuYasha."

"InuYasha?"the miko raised an eyebrow. "The one you were having those dreams about?"

InuYasha frowned as his eyes fell on the miko. He recognized her. Kasei, Princess of the Mars Kingdom and the most stubborn of Serenity's bodyguards. She'd made it her mission in life to keep him and Serenity apart, no matter what.

"Heh, well, well, so little Kasei is a miko now, huh?"he scoffed.

"Huh?"Usagi blinked. "Kasei?"

Rei sighed. "That was my name in the Silver Millennium, Usagi."

"Eh? Really? I guess I never really remembered what any of your guys' names were..."

Rei shook her head amusedly. "So... you really do exist. And apparently you knew Usagi back when she was Serenity?"

"That's right. And I knew you too, Kasei."he chuckled. "You were such a brat."

Rei frowned deeply. "Oh, yeah, that's real mature!"

"Rei-chan, InuYasha, please don't fight!"Usagi begged. Both the miko and the hanyou dropped the argument, only for the blond's benefit, but continued to glare at eachother menacingly.

"Oh, boy..."Kagome sighed. "Just what we need... someone else InuYasha is going to fight with."

~_~_~_~_~

"Rei-san, you intend to leave the village?"the priest questioned. Rei nodded.

"Yes. It's my duty to protect Usagi, and now that she's found me I can't just let her go off on her own."

"I see... well, you and your friends should at least stay for tonight. It's getting quite late already."

"Yes. Thank you very much."

Rei stepped from the priest's room, meeting Usagi in the outside hall.

"We'll leave first thing in the morning, Usagi. Make sure the others know."

"Hey, what makes you think you make the decisions here?"InuYasha asked, appearing as if from nowhere behind Usagi.

"Listen here, hanyou!"Rei said, losing her temper more quickly than usual. "I'm the second-in-command of Usagi's guards! In Minako's absence, I take charge of her care! That means I call the shots!"

"I don't think so! I'm the one who calls the shots in this group! Damn, you're just as annoying now as you were five hundred years ago!"

"And you're still just a dumb mutt!"Rei shouted, before pausing. This argument, oddly enough, was bringing back some of her memories from her previous life. This wasn't the first time she'd gotten into a fight with InuYasha. There had been multiple occasions in the past where she had fought with the hanyou for concern of Serenity. Of course, things were different now. Back then, the concern had been partly in the Princess' frequent visits to Earth unsupervised. But that hadn't been the only problem. There had been something else... she just couldn't recall what.

"Rei-chan...?"Usagi questioned the miko's silence.

"I'll be keeping my eye on you."the miko said to the hanyou, ignoring the blond. "If you hurt Usagi... I swear I will burn you to a pile of embers."

The miko stormed off, dragging Usagi behind her.

~_~_~_~_~

"I see..."Kagome nodded, sitting at the edge of the large bath she and the other girls, along with Shippou, were currently relaxing in. "So that's why you don't get along with InuYasha, Rei-chan."

"It's kinda strange..."Rei commented, tying her long black hair up to keep it dry. "I know that I don't have any reason to dislike him NOW. But I guess those feelings from my past life just don't fade that easily."

"InuYasha's not so bad, once you get used to him."Sango commented, watching Usagi having a splash fight with Shippou. "He just isn't always the best at controlling his temper."

"Unfortunately, neither am I."Rei sighed.

"Hey, Rei-chan,"Kagome began. "Usagi-chan said you're a Sailor Senshi too, right?"

"That's right."

"Well... when Usagi-chan touched one of the Shikon Jewel shards, she absorbed some of its power. Her form changed. Do you think the same thing would happen if you touched one of the shards?"

"It's possible."Rei nodded. "But it's not something I can say for certain. See, a Sailor Senshi's form is altered slightly when she gains new powers. But certain Sailor Senshi are able to gain more power than others. Like, our group for example. The Sailor Senshi residing on Earth in our present time are Usagi and myself, and our friends Ami, Makoto, Minako, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru. As you know, Usagi is Sailor Moon. Myself, Ami, Makoto, and Minako make up the Inner Planet Senshi-Sailors Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus. Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru are the Outer Planet Senshi-Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn. The Outer Senshi have each only achived two forms, while the other Inner Senshi and myself have achieved three. Usagi, though, has achieved five... well, six if you count this new one. So if you keep that in mind, it's obvious Usagi is more prone to gaining power than the rest of us are. Even though she absorbed the Shikon shard's power, it's possible that any of the other Senshi coming into contact with them will have no more effect than if I normal human were to hold them."

"I see... I think."Kagome murmured. "This Sailor Senshi thing is kinda complicated."

"Tell me about it."Rei chuckled. "You don't even wanna hear how the Negaverse and Posiverse work, or all the different celestial entities a human body possesses."

"Celestial entities?"

"Well, we've only learned of three ourselves. The Pure Heart Crystals, Dream Mirrors, and Star Seeds. But I'm willing to bet there's quite a few more than that. We only know of those three because we've at one time or another had to deal with an enemy taking them from humans."

"Now you've totally lost me..."Sango said, staring at the miko. Rei laughed again.  
"I know, it's hard to get. That's why I said, you really don't want to know."

~_~_~_~_~

"InuYasha!"Kagome said suddenly, drawing the group to a halt. "I sense a shard of the Shikon Jewel!"

"Really? Where?"

"It's not too far."Kagome said. "It's just ahead."

The group continued on cautiously, coming upon what appeared to be an abandoned campground. Rei stepped over to the fire pit, stooping beside it.

"The embers are still glowing."the miko informed the others. "Whoever was here left recently. Probably only a few minutes ago."

There was a rustling in the bushes, and the miko quickly stood, turning in time to see a vaguely humanoid youkai slinking out, blood decorating its claws and mouth.

"InuYasha, it has the shard!"Kagome said.

"Let me handle this one."Rei said, producing her transformation pen from her miko robes. "I'll show you how to do it, mutt. Mars Crystal Power! Make Up!"

InuYasha scowled as he watched the dark-haired girl transform. Who the hell did she think she was? Well, fine then. She'd let her handle the weakling alone, if that's what she wanted.

"Kagome."Mars said, easily dodging the youkai's attempt to swipe its claws at her. "Want to test out your theory?"

"My theory...? Oh, the shards!"Kagome fumbled in her pocket for the small glass bottle the shards were collected in. She extracted one, and tossed it to the red-clad Senshi. Mars easily caught the tiny crystal in her fist, and flames instantly burst from the shard, travelling down her body and consuming her completely. The youkai seemed to take this as the Senshi's defeat, and turned on the rest of the group.

The flames quickly died down, revealing Mars' new form. The golden star had fallen from her red choker, leaving it plain, and the bow on the back of her skirt had shrunk back to the short length it had been before she'd achieved her Super form. Her sleeves were once again the three rolls of cloth atached to her suit, the central roll the same red as her collar and once again round brooch, while the two outer ones were the same purple as her bows. The same pattern applied to the cuffs on her gloves, which now, like Sailor Moon's, had fallen away from her hands to form armbands similar to the sleeves of a kimono. The panels of her skirt were colored in an alternating pattern of red and purple, the same shades as the rest of her fuku.

"Not so fast, ugly."Mars said to the youkai, tossing the shard back to Kagome. The youkai turned on the Senshi, scowling. He was getting sick of this human girl. Mars smirked.

"What? You think you can take me, little guy?"

The youkai lunged toward the Senshi of Fire, who daintily dodged, laughing quietly to herself. She held her hands out to her sides, flames bursting to life in her palms. She dodged a second blow before beginning to spin, the flames forming burning lines in the air following her motions.

"Snake Fire Strike!"

Mars came to a stop on her knees, the flames leaping from her hands and dancing across the ground. The earth was scorched by the intense heat as the flames quickly plummeted toward their target, consuming the youkai. The creature screamed in pain, the flames consuming it and burning it to a pile of ashes, the stolen Shikon shard glittering against the blackness.

"Rei-chan, that was awesome!"Usagi exlaimed.

"Of course."the red-and-purple-clad Senshi smirked. "I am the greatest after all."

InuYasha rolled his eyes. "You're just a stuck up brat..."

"You wanna say that to my face, Mutt?!"the Senshi yelled at the hanyou. Kagome sighed as she collected the fallen youkai's Shikon shard.

"Are those two ever going to stop arguing?"

Author's Notes:

Well, we are slowly but surely making progress here. Obviously, the Senshi are not being reunited in the same order that they originally met up.

I should probably explain the fact of InuYasha calling Rei Kasei. I haven't really read the Sailor Moon manga, all the info I have is from watching the anime, so I don't know if Naoko-sensei ever mentioned what the Senshi's names were in the Silver Millennium. For all I know, they could have had the same names as they have on Earth. But I am fairly sure they were never mentioned in the anime. So for the sake of this story, I am simply saying that each of the Senshi's Silver Millennium name is the Japanese word for her planet's name:

Mercury-Suisei

Mars-Kasei

Jupiter-Mokusei

Venus-Kinsei

Uranus-Tenousei

Neptune-Kaiousei

Pluto-Meiousei

Saturn-Dosei

The theme for this chapter is "Don't Look Back Again" by WAG, the opening theme of the anime Gensoumaden Saiyuki Reload Gunlock ((Or the dub name is just Saiyuki Reload Gunlock... I'm not even sure I spelled Gensoumaden right...)) I chose this song mostly to reflect how this chapter shows that InuYasha and Rei's interaction is based almost entirely off of their past encounters, rather than their current meeting.

Also, as anyone following my other work will know, this is not the only multi-chapter story I am currently working on. I am also working on a novelization of the InuYasha:Secret of the Cursed Mask game, as well as another Sailor Moon fanfic. Progress is somewhat slow due to the fact that I don't always have a lot of time to write, and it's also difficult to work on three stories simultaneously without worrying about accidentally getting the ideas mentally mixed up. I'll try to make updates as often as possible, but unfortunately, this still may be slow.

Lastly, advertisement for images and videos related to this story! Anyone interested in images of the Shikon Senshi or voting on what the appearance of my OC Inuko will look like can find them on DeviantArt under my username Elrazhnia. I have also made video ads for the story which have been posted on YouTube under the username PixiSammy. These were made in attempt to get more readers for the story. Hopefully, this will work. ^.^


	5. Chapter 4:New Moon

Author Note:I was originally going to alteranate working on one chapter of Crystal Moon, then one chapter of Tsuki no Futago, and continue in that pattern. But I've noticed that I'm getting more Story Alerts and Favorites on Crystal Moon, so I decided maybe it wuld be better to focus a little more on Crystal Moon. Anyway, here is the long-awaited fourth chapter!

_Eight-year-old Serenity waited patiently for her friend's arrival, looking up into the sky at her home. Or at least, where her home would be visible if not for the position of the moon, sun, and earth. If she remembered correctly, Earthlings called nights such as this the "new moon"._

_ "H-hi, Serenity..."_

_ The golden-haired Princess looked up at the sound of her friend's voice, her crystal blue eyes widening._

_ "Inu-chan?"_

_ "Y-yeah, it's me..."_

_ The girl barely recognized her friend. His fangs and claws had vanished, and his golden eyes and silver hair had been replaced by violet and black. His fluffy inu ears had also been replaced by normal human ears._

_ "Inu-chan, what happened to you?"_

_ "It's 'cause I'm a hanyou..."the boy murmured. "Hanyou turn into humans one night out of the month. I turn into a human on the new moon."_

_ "Wow, that's so neat!"the Princess exclaimed._

_ "Really? It's not weird?"_

_ "Of course not. You're still you, right Inu-chan?"_

_ "Y-yeah."_

_ "Then there's nothing wrong with it."she smiled brightly. "You're still my Inu-chan!"_

_ The hanyou felt his face turning slightly red._

"The new moon?"Rei questioned, an eyebrow raised in Kagome's direction.

"Yeah. During the new moon, we can't really rely on InuYasha."

"Why?"

"Well, because he's a hanyou. One night of each month, a hanyou loses all of their youkai powers, and becomes completely human. For InuYasha, that night is the new moon."

"Ah, so the mutt's not as tough as he likes to act."the miko grinned.

"Shut it!"the hanyou snapped at her.

"Oh, is someone a little defensive?"

"Rei-chan, leave Inu-chan alone."Usagi frowned at her friend.

"Fine."the girl sighed.

"So as I was saying,"Kagome continued. "We'll have to find a village to stay at tonight. Camping out isn't the best idea when InuYasha is human."

"Yeah, I can see why."Rei said, smirking. InuYasha narrowed his eyes at the miko, but chose not to retort.

A few hours later, the group found themselves with lodgings in a home that Miroku had convinced the owner of was possessed, and that he had purified it.

"Is that how you usually get a roof over your head?"Rei asked with a frown once the group was alone.

"More often than not."Kagome confessed with a sigh.

"And now that we have a miko with us, it's all the more convincing!"Miroku said with a bright smile. Rei scowled at the monk.

"Don't pull me into your tricks!"

"Rei-chan."Usagi interrupted. "It keeps us from having to sleep outside again. Just let it go."

"Fine..."the miko muttered. She glanced around. "Hey, where'd the mutt go?"

Kagome looked out the window at the sky's reddish color. "The sun will be setting soon. He's probably out sulking and muttering to himself about being slowed down."

"I'm going to go look for him."Usagi stood. Rei began to stand as well, but the blond held out a hand. "You stay here, Rei-chan. As long as we're in the village, we'll be fine. And I don't want you and Inu-chan to be fighting again."

Rei sighed. "Fine."

Usagi left the house, and Rei leaned back against the wall she sat near.

"I still can't get this feeling out of my head."Rei murmured to the others. "There's just this nagging feeling about that mutt... Something I should be remembering from the Silver Millennium..."

"Inu-chan!"Usagi called, glancing around in search of the hanyou. "Inu-chan! Where are you?"

"You need something, Serenity?"the hanyou's voice came from above. Serenity looked up, seeing the silver-haird male perched in a tree.

"I just wanted to see you."Usagi smiled brightly. For a second, she thought she saw a blush on his face, but that couldn't be right. She knew from her dreams that when he was a child he was shy and blushed a lot, but from what she'd seen in the past week, as an adult he never blushed. "So, what are you doing, Inu-chan?"

"Waiting for sunset..."he murmured, glancing toward the sun that was slowly sinking behind the horizon.

"So you'll really turn human tonight?"she asked, clumsily trying to climb up into the tree with him. He reached down and grasped her hand, pulling her up onto the branch with him. She sat in front of him, smiling softly at him. "I remember you're human form when we were little. You were so cute." Again, she thought she saw a blush, but it was gone in a flash. "I don't think I've ever seen you human as an adult though..."

"You have."the hanyou said. "Well, as a teenager anyway. You just don't remember. Like a lot of things..."his voice trailed off.

"Inu-chan..."the blond murmured. They remained silent, watching as the sun slowly vanished. Usagi turned to the hanyou in time to see his long, silver hair slowly darken to black and his golden eyes become a deep shade of violet. His inu ears slowly vanished, normal human ears taking their place as his claws and fangs also disappeared.

"Wow..."Usagi breathed. InuYasha looked to the girl uncertainly, thinking she was about to freak out on him. Instead, she slowly reached a hand out, brushing it across his hair lightly before her fingers came into contact with his ear, feeling it as if to see if it was really there. InuYasha blinked, then a laugh escaped his lips.

"What's funny?"Usagi asked in confusion.

"Usually people are touching my regular ears to see if they're real. You're the first person to totally ignore them, and then try to see if the human ones are real."he reached up and gently took her hand. "You did the same thing back then, too..."

Usagi looked down at their joined hands, then up again, blue meeting violet.

"Serenity..."the hanyou murmured, leaning forward.

"Usagi-san?"a voice called. Usagi jumped with a small gasp, and InuYasha leaned back with a scowl. Usagi looked down from her perch, her eyes falling on small, dark-haired girl.

"Hotaru-chan?"

"Usagi-san... it is you!"

Usagi scrambled to get down from the tree. She lost her balance and began to fall, but InuYasha saved her from her usual face plant by quickly grabbing her around the waist. The hanyou descended to the ground with the blond in his arms before lightly setting her on her feet. He nodded in the Senshi of Rebirth's direction.

"Dosei."

Hotaru's eyes widened. "U-Usagi-san, who is he? And... how does he know my past name?"

"Oh, Hotaru-chan, this is InuYasha. The guy I was having those dreams about."

The dark-haired girl gazed at the hanyou. "I see... Usagi-san, are the others with you?"

"Just Rei-chan. What about you, Hotaru-chan?"

The girl paused. "I'm by myself."

InuYasha frowned. What was with the pause? What reason would one of Serenity's guards have to hesitate before answering her? As they headed back to their lodgings for the night, InuYasha kept a close eye on Hotaru. This girl may be small, but he knew that she housed a fearsome power within her body-that she could easily destroy the entire planet if she so chose. In the past, he had always been glad knowing Serenity was safely guarded by such a powerful warrior. But now... He wondered about her loyalty to the golden-haired princess. One thing was for sure though: Wether Serenity liked it or not, if this girl tried to hurt her, InuYasha would tear her limb from limb...

"InuYasha! Usagi-chan!"the hanyou glanced up at the sound of Kagome's voice. The girl stood several feet away with Rei, Miroku, and Sango. "I sensed a jewel shard!"

"Where at?"the hanyou asked, despite knowing that he would not be able to fight any demon that may have the shard.

"It was in this direction and-"the girl's words were cut off and she turned in Hotaru's direction. "That girl..."

"Oh, this is Hotaru-chan!"Usagi introduced her smallest guard to her friends.

"She has a Shikon shard!"Kagome exclaimed. InuYasha immediately grabbed Usagi's arm, pulling her away from Hotaru and over to the rest of the group.

"Inu-chan!"Usagi exclaimed, fighting against the hanyou's arms wrapped around her waist and pinning her against his chest. "It's fine! Hotaru-chan isn't a youkai! I'm sure she'd be willing to just give me the shard and-"

"No, Usagi."Rei murmured with a frown, taking a defensive stance before the Senshi Leader. "I'm sensing something strange. Something... evil. This isn't Hotaru."

"Of course I am."the girl murmured, a dark smile on her lips. "Maybe not the same Hotaru I was before, but..."the girl's eyes drifted to Kagome. "So... you're the miko who can sense the Shikon Jewel shards, eh? Naraku-dono told me about you, but I didn't expect Usagi-san to be travelling with you."

"Naraku?"Sango exclaimed. "You work for Naraku?"

"Yes."the girl murmured, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small object. She opened her fist to reveal a black Shikon shard.

"No!"Kagome gasped. "One of the shards Naraku polluted!"

"That's right. Naraku-dono has given me great power. And he asks but one thing in return-Destroy InuYasha."the girl held the shard above her head, crying out,

"Saturn Dark Shikon Power! Make Up!"

Hotaru was enveloped in shadows, and once they faded away, Sailor Saturn stood in her place. Like Usagi and Rei, the power of the Shikon shard had changed her unifrom. Her skirt was paneled in alternations of the purple and deep red of her original uniform, while her glove cuffs and sleeves were both purple at the central cuff and red on the two outer ones. Her gloves had also morphed into kimono-like armbands just as the other two had. But there was one key difference in Hotaru's fuku. The bodysuit of the uniform as well as the armbands were pitch black.

"Ho-Hotaru-chan..."Usagi breathed out, no longer fighting against InuYasha to defend the girl, instead clutching at the hanyou's red kimono sleeve. "Why... why would you side with someone like that? Why?"

"This power!"the girl said with a giddy-looking smile. "If you could feel this power, Usagi-san! And it's all thanks to Naraku-dono!"

"The miasma has polluted her mind."Miroku stated. "She isn't thinking clearly."

The dark Senshi pointed her glave toward the group, seeming to aim it directly at InuYasha.

"And I must uphold my end of the bargain. And when easiest than the new moon? When the mutt is nothing but a weak human!"

"Hotaru-chan, no!"Usagi exclaimed as Rei reached for the Shikon shard she'd begun keeping in her robes when they'd realized that she and Usagi needed the shards in their posession to achieve their new forms.

"Mars Shikon Power! Make Up!"

Again Rei was engulfed in flames which quickly died away to reveal her Senshi form.

"Hey, mutt!"the Senshi of Fire called to InuYasha without taking her eyes off of the Senshi of Rebirth. "Get Usagi out of here! I don't want her involved in this, and I know she won't want to see it!"

"That's right."Hotaru said with a dark little smile. "Run, little doggy. I'll find you again soon enough once I've eliminated these pests!"

InuYasha glared at the girl before picking Usagi up in his arms.

"Inu-chan!"Usagi protested. "Put me down! I can't leave!"

"Sorry, Serenity."the hanyou said simply before dashing off. He wasn't as fast as he was in his usual form, but he was still much faster than the average human, even carrying the girl in his arms. He ran for nearly twenty minutes before he came to a stop, deeming this a safe enough distance from the battle to keep Usagi safe. He carefully set the girl on her feet.

"I don't understand..."Usagi mumbled, seeming to be in shock. "Wh-why would Hotaru-chan do this? She's always been so quiet and gentle."

"Naraku must be manipulating her mind."InuYasha said, leaning against a nearby tree. "It's possible that he could have done it to several of your guards." When the hanyou looked up, he saw that tears had filled the blond's crystal blue eyes. "Serenity?"

"So I'll keep having to fight my friends?"she sobbed out. InuYasha's features softened and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms gently around the blond and hugging her close.

"Serenity... I can't say for sure. We'll just have to wait and see how things go. But I can say one thing. No matter what happens, no matter who we have to fight, I will protect you..."

"Inu-chan..."she whimpered, clinging tightly to his kimono, her face buried in his chest. "What about Mamo-chan?"

"Who's that?"

"He was Endymion in the Silver Millennium."

"Endymion?"Usagi thought she heard a growl in his voice, and she glanced up at his face. He looked furious.

"Inu-chan? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing!"he growled, but Usagi could tell he was lying. After a few moments, he let out a breath, calming himself a bit.

"You really don't remember, do you?"he murmured, brushing his fingers over her cheek lightly.

"Remember what, Inu-chan?"

He sighed softly, resting his forehead against hers. "I'll wait... until you remember on your own. And when you remember..."his voice trailed off as he stared into her eyes before taking a step away from her.

"Inu-chan..."she began.

"Usagi-chan! InuYasha!"

Usagi turned at the sound of Kagome's voice to see the others approaching. She was glad to see that none of them looked injured.

"Where's Dosei?"InuYasha asked.

"The girl?"Sango questioned. "Kagura appeared and took her off. That clarifies it-she definitely works for Naraku."

"But..."Usagi began.

"Save it, Usagi."Rei interrupted the blond. "You didn't sense what I did. Hotaru isn't herself anymore. She's completely soaked in evil. I'm betting the same has happened to some if not all of the others."

"All the others?"Usagi murmured, eyes wide.

"It's possible. But we won't know for certain until we see them."Rei stepped over to the blond, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me, Usagi. I know you want to put your faith in them. But you have to swear to me that if you meet any of the others, you won't get too close to them until Kagome and I are sure they're safe. Understand?"

Usagi was silent for a long stretch of time before she hung her head with a defeated sigh.

"Alright, Rei-chan... Whatever you say..."

Author Note:Alright, that's finally up! Sorry this took so long! I was trying to come up with a good way to wrap up the chapter. I ended it kinda lame though... Gomen nasai, minna-san! *bow*

Anyway, this chapter should answer some questions I've been getting on my YouTube videos XD Oh, and the theme for this chapter is 'Silent Moon' by Ellemo from the anime 'Gokudo-kun Manyuuki'. ^.^


	6. Chapter 5:Sakura Senshi

_ Serenity stared out of the window in a daze, her chin propped in her hand as her elbow rested against the desk. The twelve-year-old Princess was once again zoning out during her etiquette class._

"Serenity-sama..."Kaiousei murmured from beside the blond. Serenity looked to the slightly older Princess. The girl's long aquamarine locks were pulled back from her face by a pair of teal hairclips, which perfectly matched the sleeveless cotton dress she was wearing in order to keep cool in the warm summer weather.

"Serenity-sama, you aren't paying attention. Sensei will scold you..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kaiousei..."Serenity murmured to the Princess of Triton Castle. "I was just watching the Earth."

"Again?"Tenousei smirked from the other side of Kaiousei, leaning forward slightly so her long, sand-colored braid fell over her shoulder. "Are we ever going to get to meet this guy you keep going to see?"

Serenity paused. Ever since she was young, she had made frequent trips to Earth, both with and without supervision. Everyone had known that. But only her eight guardians were aware that for the past five years, her trips had been specifically to see a certain young man. Even they, however, knew nothing about him. She knew the reputation youkai had, even on the Moon. She was certain that if anyone were to discover that she were meeting with a hanyou, it wouldn't end well.

"Maybe..."she said softly, trying to evade giving a real answer.

A frown came to Tenousei's lips. Why had Serenity suddenly gone so quiet? Something was definitely up, and it had something to do with the person she visited on Earth. She'd have to remember to pass this information on to Kinsei and Kasei later...

xXxXxXx

"Hm... that's very interesting."the dark-haired man stated at the news the purple-clad Senshi had given him. "So the new moon is his human night, is it?"

"Yes, Naraku-dono."the small girl bowed her head obediently. "However, even with this knowledge, he will not be as simple to defeat as it would seem."

"Oh? And why do you say this, little one?"

"The Moon Princess Serenity travels with him, my lord."

The demon's eyes widened in mild surprise.

"Your former Lady?"

"Yes, my lord."

A dark chuckle passed his lips.

"And she carries the Ginzuishou, yes?"

"Yes, my lord. The second-in-command of Serenity's guard, Princess Kasei, also travels with them. It would seem she is able to draw power from the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama. I have yet to confirm, but I believe the same must be true for Serenity."

"Ah, so the Senshi can gather power from the pure shards just as you have from my dark shard..."he said in a tone similar to that of a scientist conducting a rather interesting experiment.

"Yes, my lord. What do you wish me to do?"

"For now, nothing. I would like to see how the little Moon Princess progresses before her power becomes mine."he chuckled. "I would like to see if she can recall those stolen memories that were such a threat to her Kingdom..."

xXxXxXx

"Snake Fire Strike!"

Yet another youkai crumbled to ashes under the force of Mars' flames.

"Ha!"the Senshi of Flame grinned triumphantly, turning to the rest of the group. "That's Rei:12, Mutt Face:7!"

"Rei-chan, it's not a contest."Sailor Moon frowned as her fuku faded back into her regular clothes.

"It is to me."the black-haired girl responded as her own fuku melted into her miko robes. "I'll prove I'm better than the stupid mutt!"

"Rei-san really doesn't like InuYasha, does she?"Sango muttered to Miroku.

"She most certainly doesn't."the monk responded. "But she seems to be keeping the worst of it to herself, for Usagi-san's sake."

The demon-slayer nodded. "I just wish InuYasha would tell us just what sort of relationship they had in the past. It seems awfully suspicious to me..."

"Indeed... You don't think they could have been... romantically involved, do you?"

As the two were absorbed in their conversation, neither they nor the others noticed that they hadn't finished off all the youkai in the area. As Usagi turned to the two, she saw a humanoid youkai sneaking up behind the two.

"Miroku! Sango-chan! Look out!"

The monk and demon slayer both turned in time to see the youkai, but not in time to defend themselves from it.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

A sparkling silver disc of electricity struck the creature, and sparks jumped along its skin as it shrieked in pain. After a few moments, it grew silent and collapsed to the ground.

"Y'know, I would think a monk would be able to sense that kind of thing."an amused voice commented. All eyes turned in the voice's direction to land none other than the Senshi of Thunder and Courage.

"Mako-chan!"Usagi exclaimed, promptly glomping Sailor Jupiter. The brunette laughed softly, gently patting the blond's head.

"Glad to see you're alright, Usagi. And Rei, too. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see any of you guys again."

"Are any of the others with you, Makoto?"Rei asked, a slight frown on her face. She was upset with Usagi for already breaking the rule she'd placed on not approaching any of the others until she and Kagome had given the go-ahead. But at least this time she could clearly sense that Makoto was still her normal self, so this time she would forgive the blond.

"No, I haven't seen any sign of them. What about you guys?"

The brunette felt Usagi tense slightly in her arms, and Rei's face gew upset.

"We ran into Hotaru..."the miko said lowly. "But she's... not herself."

"Not herself?"Jupiter frowned. "What's that mean?"

"Your friend is being controlled."said Kagome. "By an evil youkai named Naraku. He's given her a Shikon jewel shard tainted with his miasma, and that has polluted her mind, causing her to obey his commands. "

The Senshi of Thunder frowned even deeper. "Is it just Hotaru? Or are any of the others...?"

"We don't know."Rei shook her head. "That's why a certain odongo atama is not supposed to get too close to anyone until I say it's safe."

Catching the hint in Rei's voice, Usagi took a few steps away from Jupiter, looking up at her with hopeful eyes. The brunette chuckled softly, her Senshi form shimmering and fading away. Rather than the jeans, green t-shirt, and leather jacket she had been wearing when they'd all been pulled into this era, Makoto now wore a plain white karate gi.

"Well, you can tell that I'm safe, right?"

Rei nodded. "Thankfully. It's bad enough we're against someone with the ability to destroy an entire planet. It would suck to be against our second-strongest physical fighter as well."

"Since when was Mokusei a physical fighter?"InuYasha spoke up for the first time since the new Senshi had arrived. "Serenity always told me she would sneak out of all your physical classes and go to the gardens instead."

"I guess you must be the infamous InuYasha."the green-eyed girl surveyed the hanyou. "So I guess Usagi wasn't just dreaming you up, eh?"

"That's right. I take it you don't remember me, Mokusei?"

"Are you saying Serenity isn't the only one of us you knew?"Makoto raised an eyebrow.

"She's the only one I knew well. But I met each of her guards at least a few times. You changed your hair."

"Huh?"Makoto blinked.

"Yeah."the hanyou nodded. "So did Dosei and Kasei, actually. You never used to tie it up, and it was longer too. You held some back with that annoying rose barrette though..."

"Ooh, what did Rei-chan look like?"Usagi asked excitedly. The hanyou blinked at the girl's enthusiasm, an amused chuckle escaping his lips.

"Not much different, really. It was a little shorter, and she had a red headband."

"Are we seriously having a discussion about how Usagi's friends did their hair five-hundred years ago?"Shippou commented. Makoto laughed at the fox's comment.

"Aw, who's this little guy? He's so cute!"

"Oh!"Usagi exclaimed. "I'm sorry! That's Shippou-chan! And this is Miroku, Sango-chan, Kagome-chan, and of course you've already figured out this is Inu-chan. Everyone, this is Kino Makoto. She's Sailor Jupiter, and I guess her name in the Silver Mellennium was Mokusei?" The blond made the last assumption based on the name InuYasha had addressed the brunette by.

"That's right."the brunette grinned. "And to answer your question, InuYasha, this body's a little more built for fighting than my old one was. In fact, that's why I've been doing while I was waiting on any of the others to come along."

"What do you mean, Mako-chan?"Usagi questioned.

"There's a dojo near hear I've been staying at."Makoto explained. "I was nearby when I woke up, and the Sensei there found me. I've been staying there and training ever since. Come on, I'll show you."

xXxXxXx

"So you're all friends of Makoto, eh?"the dojo's sensei questioned, several male fighters training in the courtyard behind him.

"Yeah, that's right."Usagi said cheerfully. "My name's Tsukino Usagi."

"Hm... you're wearing some odd clothing. Just like Makoto when I found her..."

"Sensei."Makoto spoke up. "I hate to leave so suddenly, but I have a responsibility to guard Usagi."

"I understand."the man nodded his head. "You were one of my best students, Makoto. It's a shame you must leave, but I suppose it cannot be helped. However, you should at least wait until morning. You know that the serpent demons prowl this area at night."

"Serpent demons?"Sango said from beside Usagi.

"Yeah."Makoto nodded. "There are a lot of them around here, and they mainly come out at night. We think that their nest must be nearby, but we haven't found it yet."

"Which is why I must insist you all stay here tonight."Makoto's sensei said again. "The young ladies can stay in Makoto's quarters, and I'll have a separate room prepared for the men."

"Arigatoo, Sensei."Makoto bowed respectfully to the man.

xXxXxXx

"If they're so worried about the serpent demons, then why haven't they moved to another dojo?"InuYasha said as the group met in Makoto's room before bed.

"I asked Sensei the same thing."Makoto said. "He said that his family has taught at this dojo for generations, and he isn't going to end that now on account of a few demons."

"Keh, just sounds suspicious to me."the hanyou muttered. "I'm staying in here tonight. I don't trust that guy, and I have to keep Serenity sa-"

"That's my and Makoto's job!"Rei snapped, cutting the hanyou's sentence short. "Listen here, mutt! I don't know what went on between you and Usagi during the Silver Millennium, but let's get one thing clear! She has a boyfriend! We already know for a fact that she is going to marry that boyfriend and have a daughter! So quit getting your hopes up!"

"Who said anything like that?"InuYasha shot back, but he seemed visibly shaken by the information Rei had just revealed. "I don't care about any of that! I just want to make sure she's safe, and I don't trust the guy in charge here as far as I can throw him!"

"Now, now, InuYasha."Miroku tried to calm the hanyou. "There's no reason to get so upset about it."

"You too, Rei-chan."Usagi murmured softly. "Inu-chan is my friend, just like you and Mako-chan. He's just doing what he thinks is best to keep me safe..."

"Well, I said no!"the Senshi of Fire said angrily. "He can stay in his own room!"

InuYasha glared angrily at the miko.

"Inu-chan..."Usagi murmured, and the hanyou glanced at her. The blond gestured him over to her, and he walked over.

"What is it, Serenity?"

"Inu-chan, I know you and Rei-chan aren't getting along well..."she murmured. "But it's the same for her as for you-she's only doing what she thinks is best for my safety."

InuYasha sighed. "I know that. But even with Kasei and Mokusei both watching you, I don't trust that guy. Especially with how frail Mokusei..."

"Inu-chan."she cut off the sentence. "We're not all the same now as we were then. Much as I hate to admit it, I'm a huge klutz now, not the graceful lady Serenity was. And Mako-chan is one of the toughest people I know. She even stood her own against Zoicite before she even gained her Senshi powers! So, please, have faith in them."

InuYasha sighed again before nodding. "Alright. I'll trust you to their care, Serenity."

"Thank you, Inu-chan."

xXxXxXx

The room was vaguely illuminated by the light of the half moon hanging high above the dojo. The three Senshi slept soundly along with Sango and Kagome on the tatami mats, their breathing light and steady. The sliding paper door crept open about an inch, a golden eye visible in the resulting crack.

"The Ginzuishou... and shards of the Shikon-no-Tama. The two most powerful jewels in existance... and they will be mine."

"I don't think so."a voice said behind the intruder, a blade resting against his throat. The person gulped, then turned slowly to gaze at the hanyou who now held is life in his hands.

"I thought so."InuYasha frowned, eyeing Makoto's Sensei with distaste. The man's eyes were now a deep, demonic gold color, and there were places where his human disguise had begun to fail, scales appearing in the place of flesh.

"You half-blood trash..."the serpent demon hissed. "Siding with the humans..."

"Shut up."InuYasha growled before banging his fist against the door. "Kasei! Mokusei! Get up and get out here!"

The girls in the room stirred at the hanyou's voice.

"Usagi, stay here."Rei instructed as she, Makoto, and Sango stepped out into the hall, Kagome staying with the Moon Princess.

"S-sensei?"Makoto exclaimed in shock. The serpent hissed.

"I'm disappointed in you, Makoto. Someone as keen as you shouldn't have fallen for my ruse so easily."

"You... I trusted you..."the Thunder Senshi murmured. The serpent cackled.

"A true warrior should never be so trusting!"

A moment later, there was a scream from inside the room the girls had just occupied. InuYasha released the demon and quickly rushed inside to see two more serpents had seized Usagi and Kagome.

"Serenity!"

The lead serpent cackled again. "Didn't you figure it out, Makoto? You were the only human here! My 'students' should have the monk and kitsune subdued now as well!"

"Please, Sensei, let them go!"Makoto pleaded.

"Don't bother, Makoto."Rei said, pulling her Shikon shard from her robes. "He's been leading you on this whole time, he doesn't care what you have to say. Mars Shikon Power! Make Up!"

Makoto watched in shock as Rei assumed her new form, immediately aiming her Flame Sniper at the serpent demon's heart. The demon cackled.

"Do you really want to do that, foolish human girl? You make one wrong move, and your precious princess and that miko will be ripped to shreds!"

The demons holding the two human girls hissed gleefully, daring the dark-haired Senshi to put a toe out of line so they could have a nice feast. Makoto clenched her fists tightly, anger evident in her features. Her friends were in danger, a danger she had put them in, and there was nothing she could do to save them! She felt so... so useless.

Then she remembered something, something she had forgotten to mention to her sensei in her excitement at seeing her friends again. While she'd been out exterminating youkai in the area, she'd found a certain something being held by one of them, something that she still held in her pocket. The brunette discreetly slipped her hand into her pocket, touching the tip of her finger against the object, feeling the power that seemed to be resonating from it. It was a warm feeling that slowly crept up her arm to wash over her form. Remembering what Rei had done before, Makoto muttered two short phrases under her breath,

"Jupiter Shikon Power. Make Up."

In an instant, Makoto was engulfed in an electrical whirlwind, pink sakura petals swirling within the wind. Bolts of the electricity leapt out and struck the youkai holding Usagi and Kagome, causing them to shriek in pain and fall away from the girls they'd been confining, hitting the ground dead and charred. The electricity and petals slowly faded away from around the girl, revelaing Sailor Jupiter in a Shikon form similar to the ones Sailors Moon and Mars had already undergone.

"I will never forgive you..."Jupiter said lowly, narrowed emerald eyes glaring at her former sensei. Seeing the damage the girl had already done with her transformation alone, the lead snake youaki's golden eyes widened in fear. He hadn't anticipated this at all, he had been sure his hostages would have been all the leverage he would need! He wracked his brain, trying desperately to come up with a new plan before it was too late.

Jupiter could see that the youkai was out of ideas, yet still trying desperately to form an escape plan. The green-clad Senshi raised her right hand slowly in front of her, flecks of pink energy resembling sakura petals swirling around her arm.

"Let this be a lesson to you never to mess with a Sailor Senshi! Flower Hurricane!"

Jupiter flung her arm out toward the youkai, the energy around her arm bursting toward him in a violent spiral. He screamed in agony as the pink petals struck him, each slicing into his skin with edges as sharp as a blade. In moments the youkai fell to the ground, his body slice beyond recognition.

"Mako-chan, that was awesome!"Usagi exclaimed, launching herself at her friend and hugging her tightly. Makoto let out a relieved little laugh, patting the blond's head.

"I'm sorry, guys. It's all my fault. I should have known better than to trust him."

"It's not your fault, Makoto."Mars assured her. "I couldn't sense it either, he had us all fooled."

"Thanks."the brunette gave a little smile. "Well, I got rid of the boss, but I'm sure there are still plenty of the little weaklings about."

"Leave it to me."InuYasha said, hefting Tetsusaiga.

"No, I'll handle it."Mars insisted, glaring at the dog.

"Here we go again..."Kagome sighed as InuYasha and Mars began bickering once again.

xXxXxXx

"Well, that about wraps it up."Mars said once the last of the youkai were taken care of. Kagome was holding Shippou, who was whining about stupid youkai not letting him get enough sleep before pulling an attack.

"Well, I have to say, Mokusei, you're a lot stronger than you used to be."InuYasha said with a grin. "It's surprising to see you handle yourself so well in a fight."

"Uh... thanks, I guess."the green and pink-clad Senshi said uncertainly.

"Can we get some more sleep before we keep going?"Shippou whined, rubbing at his eyes. InuYasha gave the kitsune a displeased look, but noticed that the rest of the group seemed to need more sleep as well, even if they weren't voicing it as the kitsune was.

"Alright, fine."the hanyou sighed.

"Thank you, Inu-chan."Usagi smiled to the hanyou.

"Yeah... no problem."he gave a small, discreet smile, making sure only the blond would see it.

xXxXxXx

Author Notes:And it's finally up! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, but I hit a patch of writer's block near the end. Since this is her chapter, I wanted Makoto to be the one to save the day, and I was struggling with coming up with a good way to do that. But I eventually figured it out.

So in this chapter I'm starting to bring to the surface the fact that the past Senshi are different from the present ones, even though they share a soul. Makoto and Haruka are probably some of the best examples.

I'd also personally like to thank Atea-chan. It's thanks to her that I still have the drive to do this, after a lot of personal issues that have been occuring lately. Thank you SO much for the continued support!


	7. Chapter 6:Siren

_ "They were talking about my arranged marriage again..."twelve-year-old Serenity pouted, tossing a daisy head into the water. InuYasha looked over to the princess worriedly._

_ "If you get married... we can't hang out anymore, can we?"_

_ The blond shook her head. "But you don't have to worry, because that's not gonna happen. I don't want to marry some old guy I don't even like!"_

_ "You said he was only three years older than you..."_

_ "That's still old!"the blond frowned, her friend laughing._

_ "Serenity-sama!"a stern voice said. Serenity jumped and immediately spun around, seeing both Sailors Uranus and Neptune standing behind her, the sunlight glinting off the silver of their skirts and collars._

_ "T-Tenousei! Kaiousei!"Serenity stuttered. InuYasha wasn't sure exactly who these two were, so he quickly placed himself protectively between Serenity and the two strangers._

_ "This is the guy you've been sneaking off to see?"Uranus said with a frown. "Serenity-sama, he's a youkai!"_

_ "No, he's a hanyou!"Serenity corrected from behind InuYasha, clinging to his red kimono sleeve. _

_ "Ten-chan, relax."Neptune chuckled to her best friend as her transformation melted away. Uranus frowned at the aquamarine-haired girl as she approached the hanyou. She then turned to the other Senshi._

_ "I don't sense any animosity from him, Ten-chan. He doesn't mean any of us any harm, least of all Serenity-sama."_

_ "Kai-chan... are you sure?"Uranus asked with a frown. She normally wouldn't doubt Kaiousei's senses, especially with her mirror, but this was a matter of life or death for their princess after all._

_ "Yes, I'm certain."Kaiousei nodded._

_ Uranus let out a sigh before allowing her own transformation to fade away. She stepped up beside Kaiousei in front of the hanyou, looking him up and down calculatingly. She then looked to the blond-haired princess, still clinging to the hanyou. The look in the princess' eyes, she knew exactly what that was. This hanyou boy was more than just a friend to her..._

_ "Serenity-sama... I know what's going on here."the older princess said. "You need to think about what you're doing. Your marriage..."_

_ "I'm not marrying him!"Serenity interrupted. "I don't care what Mama says, I'm going to marry someone I love! And I don't love-!"_

xXxXxXx

"Usagi, are you alright?"Makoto questioned the blond. The brunette was again wearing the clothing she'd had on when she'd last been in her own time period. The two, along with most of the others, were standind in the square of the lakeside town they'd found themselves in, while Miroku was off attaining lodgings for the night, draggin Rei along with him. The miko still did not look kindly on the monk's trickery, but had decided it was a necesarry evil if they wanted to sleep comfortably.

"I'm fine, Mako-chan..."Usagi murmured. "It's just..."she frowned in confusion. "I've been getting my memories of Inu-chan back little by little, in my dreams. But the most recent... it was a little confusing."

"What happened?"

"Well... there was a lot of talk about some arranged marriage."the blond murmured.

"Arranged marriage, huh?"Makoto pondered. "I don't really remember anything about that, but it wouldn't surprise me. I mean, historically that's common among royalty and nobles, right? Do you know who it was to?"

"No, I woke up before I could figure that out."

Miroku and Rei returned to the group a moment later, both looking concerned.

"Well? How'd it go?"InuYasha questioned.

"It seems my... expertise were not exactly required."Miroku tried to joke, but Rei gave him a glare before turning to the others.

"The village elder said that they actually are having problems with a youkai."the miko explained. "Some sort of kappa or something of the sort is in the lake, and it's been attacking people. Thankfully no one has been killed, but it seems the attacks are getting more and more violent."

"Let me guess-you volunteered us to handle it?"InuYasha said in annoyance.

"Of coure, you stupid mutt!"Rei snapped. "We can't just leave these people to be attacked!"

"Rei-chan's right."Usagi said, looking up at InuYasha with big, pleading blue eyes. InuYasha looked at that face for a minute before letting out a defeated sigh. As much as she claimed not to be the same as Serenity, she'd certainly mastered the puppy dog eyes that the Moon Princess had used on him countless times, knowing he could never refuse.

"Alright, fine, we'll help."he sighed.

xXxXxXx

"This lake is huge..."Makoto muttered, looking along the banks of the body of water. "Maybe we should split up?"

"That's probably best."Sango agreed.

"I'm going with Serenity."InuYasha said. He knew that Rei and Makoto wouldn't let him get away with separating their princess from both of them, but he definitely did not feel like dealing with Rei right now. "Mokusei, you come with us."

Rei frowned, but decided as long as Makoto was with Usagi, she should be fine.

"Then I'll go with Kagome-san."

"I suppose that just leaves you and I, Sango."Miroku grinned.

"And me!"Shippou exclaimed, jumping up onto the monk's shoulder. Usagi laughed at the suddenly disappointed look on the dark-haired male's face.

xXxXxXx

"Still nothing..."InuYasha muttered to Makoto as they continued examining their section of the lake. Usagi had gotten tired some time earlier, and was now asleep astride the hanyou's back. "Maybe we should see if the others are having any luck."

"Maybe..."the brunette glanced over, noticing the content look on her blond friend's sleeping face. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What?"the hanyou asked hesitantly.

"Exactly what sort of relationship did you have with Usagi-chan? You seem to act really... different with her than with anyone else."

InuYasha averted his gaze, answering softly. "Serenity was a... good friend. The only real friend I had for most of my life..."

Makoto studied the look on the hanyou's face, realization dawning on her.

"You loved her, didn't you?"

Before the hanyou even had a chance to answer, a rumbling sound came from the lake. InuYasha and Makoto both turned to the body of water moments before a torrent of water burst upward from the lake, water raining down on them in droplets. Usagi was awakened by the droplets hitting her face, groggily blinking her eyes before realizing what was going on.

"Is that the kappa?"the blond exclaimed in shock.

"One way to find out. Jupiter Shikon Power! Make Up!"

As Jupiter's transformation completed, a bell-like laugh echoed around them.

"How cute, Makoto. You actually think you can fight me."

"That voice!"Jupiter gasped.

"No... it can't be..."Usagi whimpered as she slipped down from InuYasha's back.

The torrential wall of water split apart like a curtain, revealing a figure standing on the surface of the lake. Aquamarine-colored curls cascaded down her shoulders, framing a pale face inset with teal eyes. Her form was covered by almost familiar clothing, but darker, more sinister.

"Mi-Michiru-san?"Usagi said uncertainly. It certainly looked like the Senshi of the Sea, but why would she be attacking innocent people.

"It's been a while, Usagi."Neptune said with an evil grin. "Ah, I see you've found the dog."she chuckled to herself. "To think I used to think a mutt like you was good enough for a princess."

"Kaiousei..."InuYasha growled. "How could you do this? You were Serenity's friend! Her guardian! You're supposed to be protecting her!"

Neptune let out an amused laugh. "Maybe that was the case in my previous life. Back then, she was something worth protecting. She was going to be the salvation of our kingdom. But now..."she laughed again. "She isn't truly Serenity anymore. She's nothing but a crybaby, who's never been able to do anything on her own!"

"Michiru!"Jupiter snapped. "How can you say that?"

"Isn't it true, Makoto?"Neptune said, tossing a wave of curls over her shoulder. "She's never been able to truly defeat an enemy truly on her own. She's always called on power from the rest of us... even if we were wounded or killed."

"But that's our duty!"Makoto argued.

"No!"Neptune glared. "Our duty was to keep Serenity alive, and to protect the Moon Kingdom! It's no concern of ours what happens to the Earth!"

"But the Earth is our home now, Michiru-san!"Usagi exclaimed, trying to reason with her guard. "It's where all our friends and loved ones are! It's where we were born!"

"Shut up!"Neptune snapped, raising her hands in front of her. "I've found a new lord to serve, someone who's able to rely on their own power! I don't need you anymore! Submarine Violent Tide!"

A violent torrent of water burst from Neptune's hands, plummeting toward Usagi. The blond's eyes widened in shock, and she was frozen in fear.

"Serenity!"InuYasha pushed Usagi out of the way, into Jupiter's arms, taking the blast full force. He hit a large tree behind him, grunting in pain as the wind was knocked out of him.

"Inu-chan!"Usagi screamed, struggling to get loose from Jupiter. She managed to shake off the Senshi's grip and ran over to the hanyou, kneeling beside him and leaning over him. "Inu-chan! Inu-chan! Are you okay?"

InuYasha blinked golden eyes blearily. He'd forgotten how much even the most harmless-looking attack from a Sailor Senshi could hurt. His head was killing him, and he was having trouble properly collecting his thoughts.

"M-Mokusei..."he managed to say, sitting up carefully. "She's obviously not one of your allies anymore. If she's left to her own devices, she'll keep hurting people, starting with Serenity. I'd say it's high time... she gets her ass kicked!"

Neptune laughed. "Oh, the little doggie thinks he's a match for me? Well we'll just see about that!"

"Supreme Thunder!"

Neptune quickly dodged out of the way of the younger Senshi's attack, chuckling to herself.

"My, sneak attacks, Makoto? Where is your Soldier pride?"

"You're a fine one to talk about Soldier pride!"the brunette snapped, electricity crackling in her hands. "A true Soldier never abandons their mission! And our mission is to protect Usagi-chan!"

"You just don't get it, do you?"Neptune smirked. "Our mission was to protect our Princess Serenity, not this crybaby brat who happens to share her soul."

"She's still our Princess! You know how the future is going to be! You know she'll become Queen and everything will be better!"

Neptune laughed derisively. "You really are a fool! Very well then, if you're prepared to die for the twit then so be it! Submarine Violent-"

"Flame Sniper!"

Neptune's eyes widened as the burning arrow shot past her, striking her arm. She cried out in pain, clutching at the wound as she whipped around to see Mars, the others rushing up behind her.

"Dammit..."Neptune cursed. She didn't really want to risk fighting so many of them alone, but if she just ran away, Naraku would not be happy.

"Michiru, what the hell?"Rei snapped. "How could you sell out to that bastard?"

"Don't act so innocent, Rei."Neptune said, glaring at the Senshi of Fire. "If you were in our position, you'd have done the same thing."

"No way! I would never betray Usagi!"

"Neptune..."a quite voice spoke, Kanna appearing beside the Ocean Senshi a moment later. "It's time to return... Naraku has summoned you."

"You've got great timing..."Neptune chuckled, before looking at Usagi. "You'd better keep your guard up. Your number will be up."

Kanna placed a hand on Neptune's arm, and a moment later, the two vanished.

"Are you alright?"Kagome exclaimed, rushing over to InuYasha and the two Senshi.

"I'm fine..."InuYasha said, still wincing.

"We should get back to the town and let InuYasha rest."Miroku said. "Now that the so-called kappa is gone, things should be quieting down."

xXxXxXx

Usagi stared up at the moon, tucking a strand of her now-loose blond hair behind her ear. All those things Michiru had said... Was that what she really thought of her? Or was it just because that youkai had control of her?

"Serenity."Usagi turned to find InuYasha standing behind her. "You should get some sleep."

"Inu-chan... Am I... Am I really that terrible?"the hanyou's golden eyes widened in shock, seeing the girl's own blue eyes filling with tears. "I know... I know I'm not the same now as I was as Serenity. But am I really as terrible as Michiru-san says?"

"Serenity..."the hanyou wrapped his arms around her, holding her comfortingly as she sobbed again his chest.

"My own friends can't stand me! I... I don't know what to do!"

"Serenity, none of the things she said are true."he assured her. "I'm sure it was all Naraku's control, making her behave that way."

"But what if it wasn't?"she whimpered. "What if those were really her thoughts, and she just kept them to herself because she's one of my guards?"

"No... I don't think so. Kaiousei... she was never that cruel. And that's one thing I'm sure wouldn't change just because she's been reborn."

The blond sniffled, pulling back a bit to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Inu-chan. I sholdn't be crying over this. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"It's alright."he assured her. "After all, you did the same thing for me all those years ago."

She smiled softly. "I guess that's true. Thank you, Inu-chan."

"No problem."the hanyou smiled. "Now come on. You should get some sleep."

The blond nodded, allowing the hanyou to lead her back into the building where they were staying with his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, feeling safe and content. She realized that she always seemed to feel that way around the hanyou. It must be a feeling returning from her previous life.

But there was also something that she wasn't even aware of:Mamoru hadn't crossed her thoughts even minutely in days.

xXxXxXx

Author Notes:After getting over my writer's block on the previous chapter, I was able to shell out this one in about twleve hours. Bringing in more drama, both in the present and Usagi's memories as Serenity. And I managed to bring in my favorite Naraku incarnation, even if it was only momentarily.

As Makoto stated, in history it is in fact very common for royalty and nobility to have arranged marriages, sometimes even arranged before their born, such as one family arranging for their first born daughter to marry another's first born son. The Moon Kingdom obviously being a monarchy, I figured it was very possible for that to have been the case for them. Anyone have any ideas on who Serenity's arranged fiance was? *ninja shifty eyes*


	8. Chapter 7:Shattered Memories

_"Here, Serenity. Happy birthday!"the hanyou grinned, handing a red flower to the now fourteen-year-old Moon Princess._

_"Thank you, Inu-chan!"Serenity said happily, gratefully accepting the flower. She studied the red plant, which was very unfamiliar to her. "This flower doesn't grow on the moon... what's it called, Inu-chan?"_

_"It's a spider lily."the hanyou explained. "They grow mostly around graveyards on Earth, but they have a special meaning to them. When I was little, my mother told me that when two people meet who will be separated, and may never see eachother again, these flowers grow between them, creating a path so they can find each other again."_

_"Wow, that's so romantic!"Mokusei exclaimed with a starry-eyed expression from where she stood behind Serenity along with Suisei. _

_When Tenousei and Kaiousei had learned about the hanyou two years ago, they of course didn't keep the information to themselves. They'd been quick to pass it along to Kinsei and Kasei, the leader and second-in-command of Serenity's guards. After a lot of pleading and puppy dog eyes from the Moon Princess, the two had eventually caved and agreed to let her keep seeing the hanyou, but under the condition that she take no less than two guards with her at all times. It had been a bit awkward at first, but over the years most of them had started to get along with the dog, so it often seemed more like a group of friends than just two friends, one of which happened to have bodyguards._

_"Mokusei, you think anything to do with flowers is romantic."Suisei muttered to the brown-haired princess. The brunette immediately turned to the Mercury princess._

_"Well, can you blame me? I live in the Flower Palace!"_

_Serenity ignored her two guards, smiling at the hanyou with a blush on her cheeks._

_"Thank you, Inu-chan. I'll treasure this forever."_

_The hanyou rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, it won't really live forever. It is a flower after all. That's why I also want you to have this."_

_He dug into his kimono, pulling out a hair ornament decorated with several pastel-colored flowers._

_"This was my mother's."the hanyou said as he carefully fastened the ornament in Serenity's long, golden hair. "I don't have much left of hers, but I want you to have it."_

_"Are you sure, Inu-chan?" she asked softly, reaching a hand up to touch the accessory gently._

_"Positive."he paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "When I was a kid, my mother meant the world to me. When she died... I didn't know what to do. But you were there for me, and helped me move on. If it weren't for you, I don't know if I would have ever gotten over it. I guess what I'm trying to say is...YOU mean the world to me now, Serenity."_

_The hanyou tried to hide an embarassed look as he said the last part. He wasn't used to talking so sappy, even with Serenity._

_"Inu-chan..."the Moon Princess murmured. Did he mean what she though he did? Was it possible? _

_She smiled softly, standing up on her toes to press a kiss to the hanyou's cheek. He felt his face heating up as she stepped back with a bright smile._

_"You mean the world to me too, Inu-chan."_

xXxXxXx

Usagi blinked blue eyes open, the dream-no, memory-still fresh in her mind. Serenity's last birthday before her death... and she had spent it with InuYasha. Not Endymion. If that were the case, then how could she really have been so madly in love with the Earth Prince such a short time later?

'This dream did explain one thing though,'Usagi thought to herself as she sat up, stretching her arms over her head. 'The obsession I've had with that flower ever since I was little. It makes some sense now...'

She glanced over to InuYasha, who was asleep propped against a tree with Tetsusaiga in his lap. She was definitely doubting now that their relationship all those years ago had been as platonic as she had originally thought. But these new memories... they just didn't add up with the memories she had first regained three years ago, when she had discovered her past life in the first place. In fact, they downright contradicted eachother!

"Is it possible..."she murmured. "That some of these memories are... fake?"

xXxXxXx

"Excuse me! Young lady!"

Usagi turned to see a woman running over to the group. As soon as she caught up to them, she immediately stuck her face right in Usagi's, studying her closely. Usagi blinked blue eyes in confusion, not saying anything right away for fear of being rude.

"Yes, it must be you. No one else around here matches the description."

"Um... what do you mean, ma'am?"

"A young man in town has been looking for a girl of your description. A rather handsome young man at that."

All three Senshi's eyes widened in surprise. Could it really be...?

"Wh-where is he?"Usagi asked hurriedly. The woman blinked at the enthusiasm, before giving the blond directions to where she had last seen the young man. Not waiting for any of the others, she immediately took off, ignoring Rei's yells from behind her.

"It must be him."she murmured to herself, coming to a stop outside the town's relatively small inn. She stepped inside, glancing around the front lobby which doubled as a tavern. Her eyes fell to a dark-haired man who was sitting alone at a table in the corner, with his back to her.

Taking a deep breath, Usagi stepped over to the man before saying in a small voice,

"Mamo-chan?"

The man seemed to jump slightly at the name, before immediately standing and turning to look at the blond. They both stood frozen, unspeaking for a few minutes.

"Usako..."Mamoru breathed, a relieved look washing over his face. "You're safe! Thank goodness!"

Mamoru immediately hugged the small blond close, letting out an elated laugh.

"Mamo-chan..."Usagi breathed, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm so glad you're safe. I was so worried..."

The blond heard the rest of her friends coming into the inn behind her, but payed it no mind, even as Rei and Makoto greeted Mamoru. She held onto his arm as the two Senshi updated him on what had happened, particularly the incidents with Hotaru and Michiru. InuYasha was glaring at him the entire time...

xXxXxXx

"InuYasha, you seem to be not so taken with Mamoru-san."Miroku teased InuYasha. The two had been ordered by Makoto and Kagome to head to the town's market for the supplies the girls needed for dinner.

"Why should I be?"the hanyou grumbled, paying a merchant for some potatoes. "I don't care about him. He's Serenity's boyfriend, that's all."

"Therein lies the problem, I believe."the monk said to his friend. "You're jealous of Mamoru-san, because he is so close to Usagi-san."

"Shut up. I don't get jealous."

Miroku let out a melodramatic sigh. "But my you are a fickle one. First Serenity, then Kikyo, Kagome-sama, and now Usagi-san. I'm seriously beginning to think you just have a thing for girls who are reincarnations of your old girlfriends."

InuYasha shot the monk a death glare. "I don't need to be lectured by a pervert like you."

"But you do need someone to talk to."the monk said seriously. "You looked rather... pained when you saw them together."

The hanyou averted his gaze. "It makes no difference. She's with him now. If that's what she wants, I won't get in her way."

"But what about what you want, InuYasha?"

InuYasha shook his head. "I gave up on that. A long time ago. This isn't like a fairy tale, Miroku, where the peasant gets to marry the princess. The princess goes off to marry her prince, leaving broken hearts in her wake."

"That was oddly poetic of you, InuYasha."the monk blinked. InuYasha scoffed.

"Nah, just a little thought that crossed my mind years ago when I was forgotten."

"Forgotten?"

InuYasha sighed. "I don't even know what happened. One day she just... disappeared. I never had anyway of finding out why or what happened. The lifespan of her people is a lot longer than humans, something about that crystal of hers, so I never thought she had died. And then suddenly her reincarnation pops up out of nowhere."he sighed. "I thought then that maybe I would get some answers, find out why she suddenly stopped coming without a word. But she has almost none of her memories from back then..."

"Have you talked to Usagi-san about this? It sounds to me like something the two of you should discuss."

"I don't want to worry her. She's too nice for her own good, that's one thing that hasn't changed from rebirth."

xXxXxXx

Mamoru blinked in confusion at Usagi, trying to piece together the things she had told him. She'd spent the past hour filling him in on the memories she had been recovering since she'd come here, as well as her theory about some of either those memories or the old ones being fabricated.

"You might be right, Usako."Mamoru said thoughtfully. "The events don't add up very well, so it's possible some of them are fabricated. The only question is-which ones?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out."Usagi murmured. "I have very few memories that don't involve Inu-chan," Mamoru gave a subconscious frown at hearing the pet name. "... but the few memories I do have you and the girls share, so I doubt they're fake. But then most of the new memories Inu-chan has too. I'm just... so confused."

"I would be too in your position."the Earth Prince nodded, looking at the distressed blond. He watched her observantly, noticing the changes that had occured in her in the near month since he'd last seen her. She seemed somehow stronger, more mature. On top of that, she wasn't as clingy and sugary sweet with him as she used to be. If anything, she seemed more hesitant with him, like an elementary school girl around a crush she was too afraid to confess to... or like a girl hanging around her ex because they wanted to remain friends, but still hadn't quite gotten over the awkward stage of having formerly dated.

The thing he noticed most, though, was how she was around that dog. Whenever she was near or speaking of him, there was always a smile on her face, even if a small one. She certainly wasn't clinging to him like she had done with Mamoru ever since they'd started going out, but she definitely seemed to make a conscious effort to never be too far away from him.

"Usako..."he said after a while of pondering. "Just what sort of relationship do these new memories indicate you had with InuYasha?"

The blond blushed. "Well, at first I just thought we were good friends. But some of my more recent memories make me think there may have been something more."

"More, huh?"he murmured, slipping into thought again.

Neither he nor any of the Senshi had much memory from their previous lives beyond the final few days before the Silver Millennium fell. Except for these new memories Usagi was coming across, all pertaining to the hanyou. He personally only remembered that final night, when he had snuck into the Moon Kingdom's ball to dance with Serenity, and had lost his life protecting her, although that had been a failure.

Come to think of it, he couldn't recall the purpose of the ball now. Maybe the Moon Kingdom had worked differently, but he'd learned from history that royalty never had balls for no reason. Yes, the balls were sometimes for silly reasons such as finding a bride for the prince, but there was never no reason at all. Then again, he supposed it wasn't really all that important now. It was a thousand years ago, nothing he could do now.

"Mamo-chan, you're you're doing a lot of silent thinking again."Usagi pouted. Mamoru chuckled softly.

"Sorry, Usako. Just pondering a few things."

"Like what?"

"It's really not that important. Anyway, the others said they wanted to leave this town this afternoon, right? We should get ready to head out."

"I guess..."she murmured.

xXxXxXx

Sango frowned in annoyance, noticing once again that Mamoru and InuYasha were silently glaring daggers at each other over Usagi's head from either side of the blond. If that wasn't a sure fire sign that the hanyou had feelings for the former Moon Princess, she didn't know what was. The youkai slayer had a strong urge to yell at both of the males to quit with the macho bull shit, but she held the urge in. She had a feeling if she said anything, it would encite one or both of their wrath on either herself or eachother.

"Well, they're getting along just swimmingly, aren't they?"Makoto joked under her breath to Rei. The miko rolled her eyes.

"This isn't something to joke about, Makoto."she said just as quietly. "You do realize what the problem here is, right? What it is that's causing their reactions to one another?"

"Of course."the green-eyed brunette rolled her eyes. "They both like Usagi-chan, obviously."

"And she's destined to marry Mamoru-san. You know that."

"Do we?"

"What's that supposed to mean? We've seen the future, Makoto."

"We've seen A future."the brunette corrected.

"Huh?"

"There are a lot of theories about the flow of time."Makoto said evenly. "And many of them state that time does not flow in a straight line."

"What are you talking about?"Rei sighed.

"I'm saying... what we saw was definitely a future. But can we be sure it's OUR future? Maybe it's the future of a parallel timeline, one which doesn't pertain to us."

"If that's the case, then would ChibiUsa have been fading during that incident a year ago?"

"All that proves for sure is that her future is a POSSIBLE future for us. Not the one that we are set in stone to come to. I mean, doesn't her fading also prove the fact that future events are never set in stone? If the unplanned events with Nehelenya could have resulted in that future not existing... then that means that there's no real guarantee that it will be our future, just that it's a possible one."

Rei frowned. She didn't want to admit it, but what the brunette said was true. If that single event could so easily completely erase what would have become their future, then there really were no certainties in the future, were there?

"But still."Rei said defiantly. "That's the future we saw, so that's the future I'm going to strive toward ensuring."

Makoto sighed. "We both know that that has nothing to do with it. You just don't like InuYasha, so you want to make sure he doesn't end up with Usagi-chan."

"That's not true!"

"It is and you know it!"Makoto frowned angrily. "I never thought you were so spiteful, Rei. To destroy Usagi's happiness just because you don't like the situation!"

Rei stared after her friend in wide-eyed shock as the brunette curtly walked away from her to stand over with Kagome and Sango. She was at a loss for how to respond to what had just happened. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Was she... really like that?

Usagi had also noticed Mamoru and InuYasha's interactions with one another, and it was making her feel a bit uncomfortable. She was beginning to think she shouldn't have told Mamoru as much as she had. He most definitely was not happy with the information she had divulged. But then again, if she hadn't told him, and he'd found out some other way, he would probably have been even more angry, and she didn't want that either.

"Usako."Mamoru reached down to hold the blond's hand, hiding a smug look at the way InuYasha's glare intensified at the action. "Is something wrong? You're so much more quiet than usual."

"I'm fine, Mamo-chan."she tried to assure him, but even she could feel that her tone wasn't convincing anyone, least of all her boyfriend of three years.

"Are you sure? This isn't really your normal be-"

Before the ebony-haired male could finish his sentence, the ground beneath them gave a jolt. Usagi yelped as she lost her balance, falling over and losing her grip on Mamoru's hand. InuYasha saved her from hitting the ground, red-clad arms encircling her waist protectively. He gave a smug smirk as Mamoru glared at him, the tables between them turned from how they'd been a few moments ago.

"What the hell is that?"Makoto exclaimed, trying to maintain her balance as the Earth shook every few seconds, as if something incredibly large and heavy was making it's way toward them.

"I don't sense anything."Rei said with a frown. "No life force reading, not even a spiritual presence!"

"How is that possible, Rei-chan?"Usagi exclaimed in surprise. A moment later, a nearby tree toppled over, InuYasha barely manage to jump away from it with Usagi in his arms fast enough to avoid injury to either of them. Usagi looked to where the tree had been, blue eyes widening in shock at the creature that loomed over them.

It was easily at least eight feet tall, a monstrous construct of boulders and rocks, glowing ruby eyes inset in its emotionless stone face. The dead eyes trailed across the group, as if trying to decide which of them to attack first.

"A golem..."Rei breathed out, unable to believe what she was seeing. Rock golems were unnatural beings, only someone with great magical skill could create one. Or someone with control over the very earth itself. Rei frowned as that second thought crossed her mind. While she couldn't tell for sure without coming into direct contact with the individual in question, this seemed like a pretty good sign that yet another of their friends was no longer on their side.

"Well, we can't just stand here waiting for it to make the first move! Jupiter Shikon Power! Make Up!"

Usagi nodded in agreement with the brunette, finally pulling away from InuYasha and pulling her own Shikon shard from the pocket of her jacket.

"Moon Shikon Power! Make Up!"

"Mars Shikon Power! Make Up!"

The golem finally seemed to react to the surge of power the three cries called forth. Once the white light, flames, and flower petals had cleared, the large, lumbering creature immediately charged forward, forcing the group to scatter and dodge its blow.

"Fox Fire!"Shippou shouted, the green flames quickly engulfing the golem. They had no effect, however, and the creature stepped right through them, turning its attention to the one holding what it wanted.

InuYasha bared his fangs when he saw that their unliving opponent had its eyes set on Sailor Moon. He ran forward, digging his claws into his own arm as he went.

"Hijin Kessō!"the hanyou growled out, flinging the blades of his own blood at the golem. The blades bounced off the creature's hard surface, again not causing any damage. The golem swiped a hand dismissively at the hanyou, knocking him away and sending him flying several feet.

"Inu-chan!"Sailor Moon shrieked before looking at the golem defiantly. A pale, silvery light engulfed the Moon Senshi's body, glowing brightly. The creature continued toward it's entended target, raising a stone arm high.

"Usagi-chan!"Kagome screamed.

"Get out of the way!"Rei yelled.

"Usako!"Mamoru jumped in front of the blond haired Senshi as the golem's arm came down. The dark-haired male took the blow that had been intended for the girl, a hard stone hand connecting with the side of his face and sending him crashing into a tree.

"Mamo-chan!"Sailor Moon gasped, her blue eyes going wide. She knew InuYasha was alright, but Mamoru was only human, and had taken a blow to the head rather than to body as the hanyou had!

"Damn you!"she screamed at the creature angrily, silver light intensifying around her as it prepared again to attack her. "Die! Moon Twilight Flash!"

The silver light plummeted toward creature, surrounding its entire body. It seemed to freeze in place, its body shuddering just slightly. If not for its lack of voice and emotion, it would probably have been screaming in pain at that moment. In only moments, all seemed to be over. The light faded, and even the creature's shaking stopped. There was a stillness for a moment before all at once it fell apart, it's body falling to the ground in a pile of the stones that had comprised it.

"Mamo-chan!" Sailor Moon immediately rushed over to where Mamoru lay, resting his head in her lap. He was clearly unconscious, and blood was trailing down the side of his face from a blunt wound in his temple.

"Oh, Kami-sama, he's bleeding!"Sailor Moon exclaimed hysterically, looking up to her friends who had also rushed over to check on him. Kagome carefully examined the wound, but looked relieved after a moment.

"It's alright, Usagi-chan. Head wounds always bleed a lot, even minor ones. This one isn't exactly minor, but it's not immediately life-threatening. If we can get him to a proper doctor, he should be okay."

The blond nodded shakily. "Th-then we have to find a town! We have to get him to a doctor as soon as possible!"

xXxXxXx

InuYasha leaned against the doorway of the room Mamoru was resting in, golden eyes settled on the blond-haired girl who sat beside the injured male's bed. The doctor had cleaned the wound and wrapped a layer of bandages around his head to cover it, assuring them all that he would live, and should regain consciousness within the next twelve hours.

Almost an hour had passed, and Usagi had not left Mamoru's side. Likewise, InuYasha had not moved any further from the blond then where he now stood. Truth be told, while the others were all worrying over the Earth Prince's injuries, InuYasha was more worried about the Moon Princess. He'd come to accept the fact that, as much as he hated it, the girl he had once thought of as HIS Princess had chosen her Prince over him. But that didn't mean he wasn't still concerned for her. She may be fine physically, but emotionally and mentally, he was sure she was having an utter break down in her head. But as always, she didn't want to burden the others with this, and kept quiet. InuYasha knew better though. She was hurting inside, and keeping it all to herself...

A soft groan suddenly came from the bed, getting the attention of both the occupants of the room. Usagi leaned over the bed expectantly, InuYasha glancing over with only mild interest. Deep blue eyes fluttered open, seeming unfocused for a few moments before settling on the blond.

"What...?"he muttered out.

"Oh, Mamo-chan, you're awake!"Usagi exclaimed, resisting the urge to throw her arms around him as she didn't want to upset his injury any further. He blinked at her in confusion.

"Mamo-chan?"he said, as if the name made no sense to him. Usagi looked at him in surprise.

"I've called you that for years, Mamo-chan. It's nothing new."

The dark-haired male gave a confused frown, reaching a hand up to his throbbing head. "My head hurts... what happened?"

"We were fighting a golem. You tried to protect me, and got hurt. I was so worried."

"Fighting? Protect?"he muttered before turning his eyes to her again. "I'm sorry, but... who are you?"

xXxXxXx

Author Note:Dun dun duuuuunnnnnnn! And another chapter comes to a close! This one took me a while because I ended up going in a completely different direction with it than I originally inteded. I was originally going to flat out kill Mamoru off, but Atea-chan suggested something that made me decide to keep him alive. But I wasn't going to let him get away from me completely unscathed, no sir!

A little more in depth as so InuYasha and Serenity's relationship, showing things were not quite as innocent as Usagi thought from that first dream she had.

And according to the file sizes in my folder, this was my longest chapter so far. Woot for me. Hope that doesn't actually mean I was rambling...

And last but not least, this chapter's theme song, which is Re:member by Flow, from the anime Naruto.

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Please review! ^.^


	9. Chapter 8:Golems of Miranda

_Serenity hummed happily to herself as she brushed her long, golden hair, blue eyes occasionally drifting with a smile to the red spider lily she'd placed in a vase on her vanity beside her mirror. She set the brush down on her vanity before reaching out a slender hand, gently lifting the flower from the vase and bringing it to her face, inhaling its scent._

_"Serenity-sama."Kinsei's voice interrupted the Princess' thoughts, and she turned to see the blond-haired Venus Princess standing in her bedroom doorway, clad in her usual orange dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves. _

_"What is it Kinsei?"_

_"That Kumo guy's here to see you again."Kinsei sighed, stepping up behind the Princess. She picked up the hair brush in her orange-gloved hand, carefully finishing brushing Serenity's long hair. Serenity gently returned her flower to its vase, looking at Kinsei through her reflection in the mirror._

_"Why won't he get it throgh his head? I don't want to marry him!"_

_"I know, Serenity-sama."Kinsei murmured, sympathy showing in her blue eyes. She knew full well that her Princess had no interest in marrying the Prince that Kumo was sent by. In fact, she knew full well who the Princess DID want to marry, even though she'd never come right out and said it. "But this has been arranged since you were a year old. It's not something you can just break."_

_"But why?"Serenity murmured. "Why would Mama make such a stupid arrangement without even waiting to ask what I think?"_

_"That's just the way things are."Kinsei answered, setting the brush down and pulling the sections of hair on either side of the Moon Princess face back behind her head, neatly twining the sections into a braid down her back which rested over the length of golden hair still hanging loose. "Royalty like us rarely have a chance to marry for love. It's almost always a marriage of convenience. Queen Serenity was one of the lucky few, she loved King Solon so much..."_

_Serenity nodded in agreement with the last statement. Her father had died when she was five, but she still had some fond memories of him. Particularly when he had been together with her mother. Her mother had smiled so much more back then. Not to say her mother never smiled now, she had too bright a disposition for that, something Serenity had inherited. But these days her smiles were not as common as they had been before her husband's death._

_"Well, you're all set."Kinsei said, smoothing out the Moon Princess' hair behind her back._

_"Not quite."Serenity shook her head, reaching for a small jewelry box beside the vase holding the spider lily. She carefully opened the silver, pearl-encrusted box, revealing the floral hair ornament InuYasha had given her for her birthday. Kinsei chuckled, reaching forward to carefully pick up the accessory._

_"I know why you love this thing, but do you really need to wear it EVERY day?"the Venucian teased._

_"What's wrong with that?"_

_"Nothing, just you do occasionally wear it with outfits that it doesn't really match."_

_"Well excuse me for not being a fashion queen like you."_

_Kinsei laughed, fastening the ornament to Serenity's hair. "Oh, I'll make a diva out of you yet."_

_"I doubt it."Serenity laughed._

xXxXxXx

Usagi sat up in the bed she had been resting in. She hadn't slept much, not after the previous day's incident. But when she finally did sleep, she had once again dreamed an old memory of Serenity's. But it hadn't been much new information, mostly things she already knew from previous dreams. Except the mention of that Kumo person. But if he was just a servant of Serenity's intended fiancee, then she doubted he was really of much importance.

Sighing, Usagi let her thoughs drift to her present problem. The blow to the head Mamoru had suffered in that battle the previous day had a devestating effect on his memory. He had no idea who Usagi nor any of the others were. But that wasn't the thing that had surprised the blond the most.

Rather than losing all memory he had, he had simply reverted back to how he had been before the first time he had contracted amnesia. Usagi didn't understand at first, but Rei and Kagome had explained it the best they could.

"Sometimes when a person with amnesia finally gets their memory back, they lose all the memories of the time during which they had amnesia."Rei had explained. "It doesn't always happen, but it's not uncommon."

So Mamoru's memories were as if he had never met Usagi or the girls. As if his parents had never died. As if he were still that six-year-old boy. Thankfully, he wasn't still behaviorally like a child, but some things were still connected in his head the same way they would have if he were. When she had tried to explain to him that she was his girlfriend, he had blushed and gotten incredibly shy suddenly.

But somehow... none of this had bothered her as much as it would have ayear ago, something that greatly surprised the fromer Moon Princess. Yes, she was concerned at his loss of memory. Who wouldn't be? But the fact that he had forgotten their relationship in particular.. she couldn't seem to bring herself to be all that concerned about it. It was that lack of worry that she actually worried about. Could this mean that she... didn't really care about Mamoru as much as she though she did?

xXxXxXx

"So you're kinda like superheroes?"Mamoru questioned, looking wide-eyed over the group before him. Makoto chuckled nervously, both amused and concerned at the innocent, childike observation from the normally mature man.

"I guess you could kinda say that."the brunette conceded.

"Wow..."he murmured in wonder before his eyes fell to the silver-haired hanyou. "And you're like the leader?"

InuYasha gave a slight frown. He found it easier to deal with Mamoru in his present state than his normal one, but now he was little better than having another Shippou-albeit a much larger one-to deal with.

"Usagi is OUR leader, Mamoru-san."Rei said, indicating herself and Makoto. "But I guess you could call the mutt the leader of the rest of the group."

Mamoru's blue eyes fell on Usagi momentarily before he again averted them shyly, just as he had every time he'd looked at her today. Just like a little boy with his first elementary school girlfriend, which in a way he was, at least mentallly. Usagi paused for a moment before coming to a decision on the situation. She gathered her resolve and breath simultaneously before approaching the man.

"Mamo-chan."Mamoru hesitantly raised his eyes to the blond's face, finding her smiling. Then, in the same tone she had when talking to ChibiUsa or ChibiChibi or any other children, she said,

"Mamo-chan, you don't need to be so nervous around me. We're friends, right? So don't worry about a thing. I'll never hurt you, and me and Rei-chan and Mako-chan will make sure nothing else does either."

InuYasha's and Rei's eyes both widened at the blond's words. Did this mean she was... giving up on Mamoru? That seemed so unlike her!

"Usagi."Rei murmured. "Can I talk to you? In private?"

"Sure, Rei-chan."Usagi said, but frowned in confusion. She followed the miko out of the clinic before the dark-haired woman turned to her with a frown.

"What's going on, Usagi?"

"What do you mean, Rei-chan?"

"Well... you're treating Mamoru-san like there's nothing between you. Don't you want him to remember your relationship?"

The blond paused for a moment before shaking her head.

"No."

"What?"

"Do you know what I realized when Mamo-chan lost his memory, Rei-chan?"Usagi said seriously. "Yes I was concerned that he'd lost his memory. I mean I'd have to be cruel to not care at all. But you know what I think about him remembering me?"she paused. "Nothing. Nothing at all. If he remembers, great. If not... that's fine."

Rei couldn't believe what she was hearing. For the past three years, Usagi had been constantly clingy and lovey-dovey with Mamoru, pouting like a child if he looked at another woman, and even slumping into depression during the time she'd thought he'd been in America, only to find much later that he had actually been killed by Galaxia. Now suddenly she didn't care one way or the other if they were together again? Just what the hell was going on?

"It's because of that mutt, isn't it?"Rei spat.

"Stop calling him that!"Usagi yelled, surprising the miko further. "Maybe he does have something to do with it, I'm not really sure myself. But regardless, I'm tired of you always insulting him and putting him down! I'm still not sure exactly what our relationship was back then, but I do know at the very least he was my friend! And I don't want you treating my friend that way!"

Rei watched with wide violet eyes as Usagi marched back into the clinic. First Makoto, now Usagi... Was she really as short-sighted as they seemed to think? But regardless of what they said, she still had a sinking feeling about the hanyou, like she needed to keep him away from Usagi. She just wasn't sure what this feeling was...

xXxXxXx

"You're sure you're alright to travel, Mamoru?"Makoto questioned the former Earth Prince as the group prepared to leave the village. A week had passed since his accident, and his head was still bandaged, but he seemed steady enough on his feet.

"Yeah, I'm sure."he nodded. "You guys have important things to do, and I don't want to slow you down. Besides, the doctor even said other than the injury itself I've recovered as much as I'm going to. Well, that and the amnesia..."she scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, just let us know if you start feeling dizzy or anything, okay Mamo-chan?"Usagi smiled. Mamoru nodded to the blond.

"I will, Usagi-san don't worry."

"Oh, don't call me that."Usagi pouted. "I hate people being so formal. Just call me Usagi-chan, ne?"

"O-okay... Usagi-chan."

Usagi smiled at him before turning to InuYasha. "We're going the same way as before?"

"Yeah,"the hanyou nodded. "There might be another of those golem things, but I wanna know where they're coming from. They're not natural, so something must be controlling them. I wanna know who."

Usagi nodded her head just slightly. "Alright, Inu-chan. I trust you."

They traveled for half a day without incident. The sun was beginning to set when they come upon a small village nestled at the base of a small mountain, barely large enough to be considered a mountain and not just a cliff. Even the village itself was almost too small to be considered even that. Less than a dozen small houses made up the populace. However many or few occupants the village had couldn't be determind though, as no one seemed to be venturing outside their homes.

"That's strange..."Sango murmured with a slight frown. "Even in a village this small, there are usually at least a few people about."

"You're right."Kagome murmured. Usagi approached the nearest house. It didn't seem abandoned. There was a small flower garden to the side of it that had been clearly been tended to very recently. Clustered together in the soil were a dozen or so spider lilies of varying colos:red, white, orange, and yellow. The blond crouched down beside the plot, reaching a hand out to touch one of the red flowers.

"No, don't touch!"exclaimed a child's voice. The group looked up to see a little girl running out of the quiet house the garden was beside, a middle-aged woman at the doorway trying to stop her but not being quick enough. The girl immediately rushed over to the little plot.

"Please don't touch my flowers! They took so long to grow!"

Usagi blinked in surprise for a moment before giving the girl a small smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know these were yours. It's a very pretty garden. Red spider lilies are my favorite flower."

"Mine too!"the girl immediately exclaimed, giving a bright smile. "My name's Isago! What's yours?"

"I'm Usagi. It's nice to meet you, Isago-chan."

"Isago!"the woman at the door whispered urgently, nervous eyes flickering over the group of strangers worriedly. "Come inside this instant!"

"But Mama, they can't be bad. Bad people don't like flowers, so Usagi-chan can't be bad."she looked to the blond. "Right?"

"Right."Usagi smiled at the girl before standing and turning to Isago's mother. "We don't mean any harm, ojo-san. We aren't here to hurt anyone, honest."

The woman eyed the blond for a moment before again looking over the group. The obvious presence of youkai unnerved her, not to mention the odd clothing a few of them wre wearing, but there was also a monk and a miko amonst them, so they couldn't be evil, could they?

"I'm sorry."the woman let out a breath as she finally deemed it safe to step further from her house than the doorway. In the other houses, people could be seen peeking out to see what was going on, but none were yet as brave as Isago and their mother to actually come out.

"It's just... we've been so terrified, we just can't trust strangers. Not since that woman with the golems appeared..."

"Golems?"Rei interrupted, eyes wide. So there really were more of them.

"Yes. She appeared a few weeks ago. She's never attacked us directly so long as we don't leave the village, but we've seen the devestation she's caused to travelers and youkai alike. We... we just don't know what to do. None of us are fighters..."

"This woman..."Usagi murmured, almost afraid to ask. "What does she look like?"

"She's really tall."Isago cut in. "As tall as a man. And her hair's really short too, and kinda a sand color."

Makoto cursed at that information, Usagi closing her eyes with a look of despair on her face.

"It's just like I thought."Rei said with an angry expression. "It must be Haruka. She has control of earth. I just didn't think she had control enough to do something like that..."

"It's not just earth."InuYasha said as he approached Usagi, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's air, too. She always bragged about her palace being on the face of a mountain, 'where heaven and earth are one', to use her words. I should have known right away it was one of her golems."he turned gold eyes to the rest of the group with a grim expression. "Tenousei is the heir to her planet's throne. And as heir, she has power to control their army, even on a foreign planet."

"Their army?"Miroku questioned the hanyou. "InuYasha, the kingdoms of Usagi-san and her guardians have been decimated for centuries. Surely there is no army for any of them to command."

"Not a living army. "the hanyou conceded. "But Tenousei doesn't need one. The royalty of her planet have control of a golem army."

"An army of golems?"Usagi exclaimed in shock. "How can we take on that many?"

"Usagi-chan..."Isago looked up at Usagi with big eyes, clinging to the Moon Senshi's white skirt. "Are you gonna make the mean lady go away?"

Usagi looked down at the little girl, feeling herself melt at the look she was giving her. She forced a smile onto her face, giving the girl a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, Isago-chan. I won't let anything hurt you. I promise."

Isago smiled brightly, giving a little cheer.

"Ojo-san, do you know where the woman controlling the golems is?"Makoto asked.

"I'm not certain."Isago's mother said. "But we've seen her head up into the mountain, so that would be my best guess."

"That would make sense."Kagome observed. "It seems like an ideal place for making rock golems, right?"

"Serenity, you should stay here in the village with Isago."InuYasha said.

"No way!"the blond immediately exclaimed. "I have to see for myself! I have to know that it really is Haruka-san doing this! Besides, last time I was the only one who was able to do any damage to it, remember?"

InuYasha frowned, but had to admit she was right. All their attacks had had little to no effect on the golem they'd already fought, all accept hers. He cast an eye over the rest of the group, calculating in his head who among them would be of any use fighting, and who would be best left in the village.

"Kagome, Sango, Shippou, Endymion. You all should stay here."

"What?"Shippou exclaimed. "Why?"

"The four of you are sure to be useless against Tenousei and a bunch of golems. Serenity is the only one who can destroy the golems, but Miroku might be able to pull a few into the Kazaana. Kasei, Mokusei, and I are the ones who have the best chance against Tenousei herself."

The benched members, save for the currently useless in ANY battle situation Mamoru, looked obviously displeased at this, but in the end had to concede the point. They hadn't been of any use against a single golem, so what could they do against a group of them and their handler?

"Shippou-chan, why don't you keep Isago-chan company until I get back?"Usagi suggested to the little kitsune with a smile.

"Alright."Shippou nodded. "Hey, Isago-chan, I got some neat tricks I can show ya!"

"What kinds of tricks?"

xXxXxXx

Mars frowned as she scanned over the flat outcropping they found themselves standing on, near the top of the relatively small mountain. They had yet to find any sign of Haruka or any golems, a fact which both relieved and irritated the Senshi of Fire.

"Maybe she just isn't here."Jupiter commented, folding her arms behind her head, the kimono-like sleeves of her armbands fluttering down along her back. "I mean, Isago-chan's mom only said it was a possibility. She could be somewhere completely different."

"You may be right, Makoto-san."Miroku stated in one of his rare moments of seriousness. He had decided for his own health not to flirt with any of the three Senshi. If he laid a hand on Usagi, InuYasha would see to it that he lost an arm, and if he got either of the other two angry, he would end up burned or electrocuted. Or both. None of these were exactly a favorable outcome for the lecherous monk.

"Should we just go back to the village?"Sailor Moon asked her companions. The words were barely out of her mouth before she suddenly felt the ground beneath her feet beginning to shift. She looked to the others, seeing that none of them seemed to notice the ground moving. Why was that?

An instant later, a familiar stone figure burst up from the ground-directly below the blond's feet. She screamed as the creature shot up with her feet upon it's shoulders, flailing her arms to keep from falling back and cracking her skull on the hard mountain ground now an uncomfortable minimum eight feet from her feet, thirteen from her head.

"Serenity!"InuYasha growled, instantly dashing forward to retrieve the blond from the creature. The golem responded quickly, swinging a stone arm at the hanyou. InuYasha dodged to the side, seeing Sailor Moon still struggling to keep from plummeting to the ground.

"Oh, this is priceless!"a deep but still feminine voice echoed. "I was curious to see what the Princess Klutz would do if I put a golem right under her, but this was better than I'd hoped!"

With a furious growl, InuYasha whipped his head around in the sound of the voice, the others doing the same. As expected, Sailor Uranus was seated on a ledge of rock several feet above them, her left elbow propped on her knee with her chin in her hand. Like all the other other Senshi, her fuku had changed to the new theme of her primary colors-gold and deep blue-patterned across her skirt and sleeves, as well as the cuffs of the kimono-like armbands that had replaced her gloves. But also like Saturn and Neptune, the sections that had once been white were now black.

"Tenousei!"InuYasha snarled at the the Soldier of Sky. "Are you insane?"

"Don't talk to me like we're equals, mutt."the sand-blond smirked down at him. "I should have killed you the day I first laid eyes on you. I was going to, too. But Neptune said you weren't a threat, and I trusted that. But things have changed, and it's about time to take you out. Along with Princess Crybaby."

"H-Haruka-san..."Sailor Moon whispered in dismay, her body hunched forward slightly in what was at that moment the best position to keep from toppling over off the golem. Deep blue eyes turned to the smaller blond, not an ounce of sympathy present in them.

"Time to say goodbye, odongo atama."Uranus said coldly as her right arm was raised above her head. A moment later, four more golems had risen from the earth in much the same fashion as the first, one standing before each of the Senshi's opponents.

The first began moving again as well, swinging an arm up in an attempt to knock Sailor Moon off it's shoulders. The blond Senshi leader yelped, doing a clumsy jump just barely quick and high enough to avoid the blow, and then just as clumsily landing on its shoulders. She predictably lost her balance, pitching forward with a yelp. She fell across the golem's head, feeling the wind knocked out of her as her stomach and chest made impact against the stone.

"Serenity!"InuYasha again tried to rush to the Moon Princess' aid, but he was blocked by his own opponent. He growled furiously at the lifeless creature, raising Tetsusaiga and bringing it crashing down on it. It predictably had little effect. A quick glance told him that Miroku and the other two Senshi were having as equal bad luck with their own opponents.

"Snake Fire Strike!"

"Supreme Thunder!"

Both attacks bounced off stone almost harmlessly. Jupiter and Mars cursed under their breath, trying to figure out what to do.

"High enough heat should be able to turn stone molten."Mars muttered to herself, dodging a relatiatory blow from her opponent. "But I don't have that kind of strength. What else could work?"

"I know the feeling."Jupiter grumbled as she evaded her own opponent's strikes. "Rock may be a poor conductor of electicity, but lightning can still shatter rocks. If I was just stronger..."

"That's it!"Mars exclaimed, turning to her friend. "Makoto, how 'bout we try a little experiment?"

"What do you mean, Rei?"

"Neither of us can generate our powers high enough to destroy these things alone. But if we combine our powers..."

"You mean like the Sailor Planet Attack?"

Mars shook her head, jumping back from another blow.

"No, not like that. For one, just the two of us wouldn't be able to give it much power. And besides, what we need is our own powers-fire and lightning. If we put them together, we should be able to boost their effects."

"It's worth a shot..."Jupiter admit, jumping back to put space between herself and their targets. She turned to the red-clad Senshi and gave a nod before concentrating her power through her body. Electricity leaped up across the brunette's arms, flames flickering to life in the other Senshi's hands.

"Alright, here we go!"Mars yelled, launching the flames forward. Jupiter instantly sent her own power out behind it, both girls simultaneously calling a unfamiliar attack name.

"Shikon Thunder Inferno!"

The two powers combined in midair, sparking and blazing more powerfully and growing into a twisting inferno. The two golems the Senshi had been fighting were engulfed in the power, going stiff for an instant before the intense heat took an obvious effect. The seemed to both melt and crack simultaneously, chunks of stone falling to the earth mere moments before melting into molten stone. The stone seemed to cool unnaturally quickly, turning into blackened lumps in mere moments.

"No!"Uranus yelled angrily, jumping to her feet. She had been certain that even with the Shikon shards they carried none of the remaning guards would have enough power over their element to take out her golems. She hadn't anticipated that they would be smart enough to think of combining their powers outside the Sailor Planet Attack.

"Miroku, InuYasha! Move!"Jupiter yelled to the two males. They both glanced away from the opponents, eyes going wide when they discovered that the two Senshi had finished their own off. How the hell had they managed that?

"Back up if you don't wanna get killed!"Mars ordered, flames again appearing in her hands. Both males quickly backed away as they saw the two summoning their power, and not a moment too soon.

"Shikon Thunder Inferno!"

"What the hell...?"InuYasha muttered, watching in shock as the two golems were taken out by the intense heat.

"Dammit!"Uranus yelled in anger. "Fine, if I can't take the rest of you out, at least I can get Princess Brat!"

She raised her arm again, and the eyes of the golem Sailor Moon had all this time been playing cat and mouse with suddenly glowed brightly. With a sudden burst of speed, its hand shot up quicker than before. The Senshi leader wasn't fast enough to dodge this time, and the huge stone hand closed around her right leg. She screamed in pain, feeling the immense pressure around her leg quickly crushing it.

"Serenity!"InuYasha yelled, running forward as the golem pulled the Senshi from its body, leaving her to dangle by her leg from his hand. A second scream ripped from her throat at the action.

"I don't think so, mutt! Space Turbulence!"

Blades of wind shot from Uranus' raised hands and ripped toward the hanyou. He dodged the best he could, but one of the blades made contact with his leg, sending him sprawling to the ground in his sprint.

"Inu-chan!"Sailor Moon exclaimed, pain etched on her face. She took a few steadying breaths to distract from the pain before closing her eyes and concentrating her power, silver light enveloping her body like before.

"Usagi, wait!"Mars yelled. If she killed that golem in that position, she was going to fall headifrst into the rock ground!

"Moon Twilight Flash!"

Just as before, the golem was engulfed in silver light and began to crumble apart. InuYasha pulled himself to his feet, immediately rushing forward. As the arm holding her crumbled away, Sailor Moon fell with a yelp. InuYasha dove forward, landing on his back and managing to break her fall just before she hit the hard earth dead on.

"Are you alright, Serenity?"he exclaimed worriedly. The Moon Senshi winced.

"My leg... I think it's broken or something..."

"Dammit, why won't you all just die?"Uranus shouted, beginning to raise her arms to summon more golems. Before she could call on the creatures, however, she stopped as if someone had called her name. She glanced back, seeing a familiar insent buzzing behind her. A Saimyosho. That was her signal to return to headquarters.

"Dammit!"she cursed again, clenching her fists. She could finish them, she was certain of it. But orders were orders, and she knew she would be killed for disobeying.

"Consider yourself lucky, Princess Weakling!"Uranus yelled down at the Moon Princess as InuYasha stood holding her in his arms bridal style. "I don't get to kill you this time, but it's just a matter of time!"

A fierce wind kicked up around the tall Senshi, blinding the others for several moments before she vanished.

"That's three."Mars muttered annoyedly. "Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru are all turned against us, and who knows how many more of the others?"

"We'll worry about that later."InuYasha said, looking to the injured girl he carried. "Serenity's hurt, we need to make sure it's nothing serious."

For once, the Senshi of Fire agreed with the hanyou.

xXxXxXx

"It's not broken, but it's a bad sprain."the village doctor stated as he examined Usagi's leg. "The best that can be done is to bandage it and stay off it for a few weeks."

"Weeks?"Usagi exclaimed. "But I can't be lying around in bed for that long! I have to find my friends and stop this Naraku guy and-"

"What if I carry her?"InuYasha cut in. "I carry Kagome all the time, Serenity can't be any heavier."

"I wouldn't bet on that."Makoto teased, getting a glare from Usagi and a snicker from Rei and Shippou.

"It isn't advisable, but as long as you're careful and don't jar her leg it should be alright."the doctor said. InuYasha nodded, and the doctor proceeded to tightly wrap Usagi's right ankle.

xXxXxXx

"Do you really have to leave, Usagi-chan?"Isago pouted at the blond, who was standing on her good foot and leaning her weight against InuYasha at the moment. Three days had passed since her injury had occurred, during which time the group had stayed with Isago and her mother. Being confined mostly to the house, Usagi had formed a tight bond with the little girl in those three days, even occasionally joining her in tending to her little garden beside the house.

"Yes, I do, Isago-chan."the blond smiled to the child. "I'm sorry. But there are things we have to do that are very important. But I promise you, the mean lady isn't going to come back anymore. So you make sure you take extra good care of that garden, okay?"

"Okay. Oh, wait here a second!"the little girl rushed off. Usagi tilted her head curiously, wondering what she was up to. A minute later, she came running back, holding three red spider lilies in her hand.

"Here, Usagi-chan!"she held the flowers up to the blond. "I want you to have these, so you won't forget about me!"

Usagi smiled, kneeling down to gently take the flowers from the little girl. "Thank you, Isago-chan."

"You'll come back and visit, right, Usagi-chan?"

"Of course, sweetie. And when I do, I hope your garden's full of lots of pretty flowers."

"You bet!"the girl nodded.

xXxXxXx

"You sure get along with kids."InuYasha commented quietly so only Usagi, whom he was carrying piggyback, would hear.

"I love kids, that's why."she smiled. "That's my dream:to be a bride and a mom."

"I see."InuYasha gave a small smile. She'd said the exact same thing all those years ago. Whenever they'd discussed as children what they wanted for their future, the obvious thought of becoming queen never seemed to occur to her. She just wanted a family of her own, royal or not.

"You never cease to amaze me, Serenity."he said, gaining a confused look from the blond.

"If you say so, Inu-chan. Oh! Here."

The blond shifted a bit, reaching for where the flowers from Isago were carefully contained in her jacket. She pulled one of the crimson buds out, holding it over InuYasha shoulder and a bit in front of his face.

"I want you to have one."

The hanyou blinked golden eyes in surprise, shifting all of Usagi's weight to one arm so he could reach the other hand up to take the flower.

"But... why?"

"To thank you."she responded, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and resting the side of her head against his. "You gave me one for my birthday, and it really meant a lot to me. It was something I treasured. So I thought you'd like one from me. Sorry it had to be a re-gifted one though."she finished with a chuckle.

InuYasha felt his chest tighten at her words. She remembered that birthday? Then maybe he wouldn't have to wait much longer for her to remember...

"Thank you, Serenity."he whispered. "You have... no idea how much this means to me."

xXxXxXx

Author's Notes (A lot of them this time...):And another chapter draws to a close. I realized that I hadn't had Usagi have any real klutz attacks, so decided to slip some minor ones in during the fight with the golems. This isn't the last you're going to hear of Kumo, he's not just a random character and plays an important part in both the events of the Silver Millennium and the present.

While Isago is a random character who will only appear in this chapter, her name actually does have some relevance. It is the Japanese reading of the first kanji in the name 沙華 (Sha Hua or Saka), one of the lovers in a legend pertaining to the spider lily. While in Chinese, the origin of the legend, the kanji is read as shown above, in Japanese it is read as Isago Hana. In either reading, it is loosely translated into English as meaning "Flower".

Just in case anyone doesn't quite get the chapter title, I decided I should explain it. I got the idea for it from the downloadable content for Dragon Age:Origins titled "Golems of Amgarrak". The name "Miranda" is used because Miranda is the name of one of the moons of Uranus, and in the manga is offiically given during the Dead Moon Arc as the name of the Uranus Kingdom's castle, which remains the case in Crystal Moon. So... "Golems of Miranda" seemed a fitting title for the a chapter dedicated to Haruka controlling the Uranus Kingdom's golem army.

As for Jupiter and Mars' thoughts on trying to destroy the golems-both of their points are scientifically true. Rock does become molten when heated enough (this is what magma and lava are), and can also be shattered by a lightning strike, not by the electric charge, but by thermal stresses imparted from the lightning's energy. Not all the Senshi are as genius as Ami, but they did at least do the research to ascertain the most effecitve ways to use their own elements. I was experimenting with the idea of introducing combo attacks that don't require the whole Senshi team to work, that can be performed between just two or three Senshi.

The chapter's theme is "Umlimited Sky" by Tommy Heavenly6, an insert song from the second season of Gundam 00. I'd also like to announce for those who haven't found so on their own that my deviantART journal now includes a soundtrack list, as I've realized belatedly in other chapters that I forgot to list their theme.

I'd also like to answer a few questions Atea-chan posed in her last review:

_1) How does Naraku know about Serena and the Silver Crystal? He wasn't there_

_during the Silver Millennium?_

This will be explained in later chapters. Probably in about 4 or 5, maybe fewer if I can manage it.

_2) How did that snake demon from before know about the crystal too?_

The Ginzuishou was just as well-known for its power as the Shikon-no-Tama, but it was mostly assumed that it had been destroyed, much as the Shikon-no-Tama was. Now that youkai sense its power again, they're just as eager to get to it as they are the Shikon shards.

_3) What does Naraku have to gain from getting the Silver Crystal from Serena?_

_I heard that a crystal works best in the hands of its carrier..._

Only the true heir of the Ginzuishou can use it to its full potential, but it is still of use to others who wish to usurp its power. Youkai can use it in essentially the same way as they use the Shikon shards, as a catalyst to boost their power, but the Ginzuishou is even more useful to them as it is the full Crystal rather than shards. Also, in Naraku's case, it's not exactly the Ginzuishou he's after...

_4) Could you actually tell us how much time has passed between each chapter? I_

_hadn't really realized that it had been almost a month since Serena and her_

_friends came crashing into the Feudal Era..._

I hadn't realized until Atea mentioned this that I had been doing that. Sometimes it's hard to indicate the passing of time in a way that doesn't interrupt the flow, but I'll try to keep up on that from now on.

Lastly, due to some family issues (read my deviantART journal for details), I can't make any promises as to when the next update will be. I still intend to work on the story, but I don't know how often I'll have the opprortunity and be in the mood to work, and there's also a possibility I may be without internet and therefore unable to post right away when I do finish a chapter. Right now, writing and my PSP are the only two things that seem to be distracting me from the foul mood that current circumstances have me in, but whenever I try to pull up my files to write (including for most of the latter half of this chapter), I can't seem to bring myself to write more than a few paragraphs (or even sentences if I'm pissy enough) before I just don't feel up to it anymore...


	10. Chapter 9:Past and Future

_Serenity let out an exasperated sigh as she saw that man approaching her in the garden. He just wouldn't give up, would he?_

_"Princess Serenity."the man greeted warmly._

_"Kumo."Serenity frowned, crossing her arms over her chest almost defiantly._

_"My lord has sent me to-"_

_"To see if I changed my mind and will finally consent to the marriage, right?"the blond princess interrupted._

_"Well, to phrase it bluntly, yes."the man said, the smile never leaving his face. Serenity shook her head at the long-haired man._

_"My answer remains the same, Kumo. It was my mother's decision that I marry your Prince, not mine. And I refuse."_

_"I see."Kumo nodded. "But I still do not understand why it is you resist so strongly, Princess."_

_"That's none of your business, Kumo."_

_"Is it perhaps that there is... someone else you have your eye on?"_

_The princess' face immediatedly heated up-both in embarassment that he was dead on, and anger that he would dare say such a thing._

_"That's none of your business!"she repeated angrily. The dark-haired man gave a slight chuckle before bowing._

_"My apologies, Princess. I meant no offense."_

_"My reasons are my own, and I don't need to explain them to you or anyone else. Now leave."_

_"As you wish, Your Highness."_

_Kumo turned on his heel, walking away from the golden-haired Princess. A dark smirk curved his lips._

_"It seems control will not come so easily."he said as he reached the entryway to the palace, where a dark-haired young woman stood waiting for him. " If she will not wed our lord willingly, then we will need to take more... drastic measures."_

_"I don't see why it's necesarry for my cousin to marry that twit in the first place."she frowned, tossing black hair over her shoulder. "Surely there are other ways for us to gain control."_

_"Don't be so simple-minded, Gurin."Kumo chuckled. "Yes, it's true our plan can be implemented without this step. But it would be much more difficult. We need things to proceed smoothly, don't we?"_

_"I suppose."Gurin sighed, following Kumo out of the palace._

xXxXxXx

_Kumo glanced his eyes across the dream-like landscape, in search of the woman he and Gurin wished to speak with. He eventually located her, beside a peaceful lake with a surface smooth as glass, attending to her steed. The winged white horse tossed its mane and turned its eyes in the direction of the two intruders in this land. The woman noticed the beast's reaction and turned her own head, brown eyes falling on them._

_"Priestess Suki, as lovely as ever I see."Kumo said charmingly as he approached the Priestess._

_"Lord Kumo, Lady Gurin."the Priestess bowed her head politely, black hair falling over her shoulders in stark contrast against her white dress. "It's not often I see the two of you in Elysion. How can I be of service?"_

_"I have a personal favor to ask of you, Priestess."Kumo stated._

_"A personal favor?"Suki questioned, gently patting Pegasus' head gently. "I don't know what I could possibly do for you, Kumo. I have nothing to offer."_

_"My Lord is nearing the end of his lessons with you, correct?"_

_The Priestess found. "Yes, that's true. I have taught him nearly all I can of the Mother's history and ways."_

_"Good."Kumo smiled. "When his tutoring is complete, I think it would be best if you were to no longer fraternize with him."_

_The Priestess' eyes grew wide in shock. "What? Why?"_

_"He will need to concentrate on his upcoming marriage. Another female influence would simply be... distracting."_

_The normally calm facade of the Priestess grew immediately enraged at the implication._

_"That's preposterous! His Highness and I have been friends since we were children, long before he was named heir and I became High Priestess!"_

_"But we all know that there's more to it than that, Suki."Gurin spoke up, grinning cruelly at the Priestess. "We all know that you love him, and that his engagement and your station are the only reasons you haven't acted on it."_

_Suki's face flushed bright red in embarassment._

_"Th-that's ridiculouss, Lady Gurin. Whatever gave you that idea?"_

_"The blush on your face, for one."_

_"Regardless of how I may or may not feel, it's not as if I stand as competition. As you said yourself, my station prevents me from enterring such relationships. Regardless of who His Highness marries, I will not simply drop out of his life, unless that is what he himself wishes, not because YOU find it inconvenient."_

_The Priestess stared at the two defiantly for several long moments, both of them staring back as if trying to break her resolve. The stalemate was broken by Pegasus whinnying and nudging his mistress before looking pointedly into the distance. The three humans followed his gaze, seeing that the very man they were discussing was approaching for his lesson with the Priestess._

_"Very well, we shall leave things alone for now."Kumo stated, Gurin turning and walking away. He gave Suki a smug, almost evil look. "But make no mistake, Priestess Suki."he said her name almsot mockingly. "My Lord will marry the Moon Princess, and then there will be no more room for you in his life."_

xXxXxXx

"Do I really have to go?"the red-clad girl questioned the people around her. Her parents had come to see her and her advisor off, along with her cousins, aunt, and uncle. Biologically there was no relation, but the three of them had been raised in such a close family setting that that was the way they saw it.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but it's necesarry."her aunt said sympathetically. "It's the only way we can see that our future is a possibility."

"Just remember what the Guardian said!"Izanagi said, the eight-year-old boy always eager to show how much smarter he was than the average boy his age. "No future is set in stone! The best you can do is make sure it's possible, never a certainty."

Izanami rolled her eyes at her brother's show off of knowledge. They all knew that full well, they didn't need a lesson on it. Especially not when their cousin was about to leave them for who knew how long on this mission. What she needed was a proper farewell, not a repeat of what she'd been told at LEAST a dozen times.

"I know that Nagi-kun, you don't have to tell me."the girl voiced what her cousin had been thinking before turning to Izanami. She really wished the other girl would be coming with her, but just her and her advisor's presence would already be a danger to the proper flow of time. It didn't need to be worsened by a third presence. The two of them were as close as sisters, having only been born a few months apart and raised together.

"Nami-chan, you keep an eye on Nagi-kun."

"As always."the gold-clad girl gave a mock-exasperated sigh. The other laughed before hugging her cousins, aunt, and uncle. Then she turned to her own parents. This was going to be the hard part. She'd never been away from either of her parents for more than a few days, and the Guardian had made it clear that this mission could keep her away for several months, maybe even as long as a year. She didn't know if she could be away from them that long. But then again, considering where-or rather when-she would be...

"Don't be going soft on us now."her father chuckled, ruffling her hair teasingly. She gave a weak smile, tugging at a lock of her father's own long, black hair. "We have faith in you, my little higanbana."

"I know..."she said softly. "And I'm happy you trust me with something so important. But I'll be so lonely."

"Don't worry, sweety."her mother reached out a hand to stroke her hair. "Cynthia will be with you, and I know everyone will be there for you as well once you meet them."

"I hope you're right, Mama."she murmured, trying to mask the tears in her eyes. She placed a hand on her mother's stomach, swelled well past her waist line from her current pregnancy. She thought she felt a movement, but she wasn't sure. "I probably won't be back in time to see these little guys come out, huh? You'll tell them about me, right?"

"Of course."her mother smiled brightly. "I'll tell them they have the best big sister in the world, who's out making it possible for us all to be here."

She nodded before speaking directly to her mother's stomach, addressing her unborn siblings inside.

"You two better not cause any trouble for Mama. She better be in one piece when I get home."

Her parents chuckled at her action, her father ruffling her hair yet again.

"Make sure you keep your seal set, alright?"he advised. "People aren't as accepting in that time as they are now."

She nodded. "I will, Papa."

She hugged her parents tightly, lingering to memorize their warmth, their scent. She hesitantly backed away, clutching the key the Guardian had given her and raising it above her head.

"Guardian of Time! Let the Door of Time split the heavens and open to me! I call you by your true name! The almighty God of Time! The Father of the Guardian! Chronos! Lead me! Protect me! Send me the path of light!"

xXxXxXx

"Wow, look at all the cherry blossoms!"Shippo exclaimed excitedly. Four days' travel from Isago's village had brought them to another village, sakura trees planted and in full bloom throughout.

"They're beautiful!"Sango said with a smail, holding up a hand to catch a falling pale pink petal in her palm.

"Yeah, they are."Usagi smiled from astride InuYasha's back.

"It's odd though."Makoto murmured. "The season for cherry blossoms has barely started. They shouldn't be blooming this fully yet."

"Very observant of you."an old man said as he approached the group. "Long ago, this village was attended to by a miko named Sakura. She dearly loved the cherry blossoms, and when she died we buried her beneath one of the trees. Ever since, each year, the cherry blossoms in this village have bloomed early, and thrived well beyond the normal season, all thakns to miko Sakura's blessings."

"Oh, wow, that's so cool!"Usagi beamed. "Rei-chan, when you die what flower should we bury you with?"

Rei rolled her eyes at the stupid question, but answered,

"Lilies."

The old man glanced in the miko's direction before his eyes widened in shock.

"Y-You..."

"Is something the matter, oji-san?"Sango questioned at the man's shocked expression.

"You..."he murmured as he stared at Rei. "You look just like the miko Sakura."

"Huh?"Rei blinked. "Uh, there's no way that can be right!"

"Of course there is, Rei-chan."Usagi whispered to her friend. "Remember where we are? Maybe the miko he's talking about is your ancestor!"

"I suppose it's possible..."she murmured before asking the old man. "What's this village called?"

"Oh, of course."the man snapped out of his staring. "This is Hikawa Village."

"Well that settles it."Makoto chuckled. "This village is definitely connected to Rei's family."

"Why do you say that?"Kagome questioned.

"Because the temple Rei's grandpa runs is called Hikawa Jinja."

"Oh, really?"the archer blinked. "Wow, what a coincidence that we would end up here!"

"Yeah. Coincidence..."Rei murmured, not so sure that was the case. She was beginning to believe in coincidence less and less lately. She found her eyes roving around the village. Whether it really had anything to do with her temple or not, the trees certainly reminded her of her home.

"It's getting late."Sango observed, raising her eyes to the sky, tinted orange and pink in the wake of the setting sun. "Oji-san, is there somewhere we could stay here?"

"Of course."the old man smiled kindly. "You can stay in the temple."

"The temple?"Rei blinked.

xXxXxXx

"Wow, it's really almost exactly like the temple in our time."Usagi exclaimed, sitting with the other girls in the room they had been given to stay in, separate from the men. InuYasha had put up a fuss, insisting that he should stay with Usagi in case she needed help getting somewhere, but Makoto had assured him that if she needed to "go to the bathroom or something", she would help her out.

"It's smaller."Makoto commented. "But that's too be expected. What is here does seem to have the same layout, right Rei?"

"Yeah,"Rei nodded in agreement, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the situation. "In fact... this is where my room is..."

"Really?"Kagome asked. "Wow, that's got to be a weird feeling..."

"Yeah. It's kinda awkward..."the miko murmured, violet eyes roving about the room and landing on places that were empty or occupied by different items than they would be in five hundred years:her bed, her desk, her bookshelf...

xXxXxXx

"Cynthia!"the red-clad girl called worriedly, looking about desperately for her friend. "Cynthia! Where are you?"

There was no response, and the girl was beginning to get a little worried. What if she'd been attacked by a youkai? Cynthia wasn't a terrible fighter, but she doubted she could handle a youkai of this era completely on her own, at least not without retaining some serious inuries in the process.

"Cynthia!"

xXxXxXx

"Mew."

"Oh, Inu-chan, look! A kitty!"Usagi exclaimed. She and the hanyou had been wandering about the village, getting a feel for the place as the group had decided to take a breather here for a few days. The hanyou turned gold eyes in the direction the blond was pointing, seeing a kitten slinking around the trunk of one of the many cherry trees. Her fur was a light shade of brown, and her eyes were a pale, almost icy blue. Around her neck was a blue ribbon, tied in a bow in front with a small silver bell attached to the bow's knot.

"Here, kitty."Usagi called gently, letting go of InuYasha's arm and carefully crouching down with her hand held out to the kitten. The little animal approached cautiously, sniffing at the blond's fingers before giving a happy meow. Usagi smiled happily, gently picking up the kitten and holding her close.

"She's so cute!"she exclaimed as she stood, the kitten licking her face. "Don't you think so, Inu-chan?"

Gold eyes fell to the creature in the blond's arms, two sets of blue eyes looking up at him hopefully.

"I... guess..."he said unenthusiastically. He really didn't care much for cats...

"Well I think she's adorable."Usagi said before a slightly worried look crossed her face. "I hope Luna's okay..."

"Luna?"the hanyou questioned.

"She's my cat. She's not exactly a pet though. She's kinda like... an advisor, I guess. She can talk, and has a crescent mark on her head."she pointed to her own forehead to emphasize her point.

"Oh yeah, her."

"Oh, you met Luna back then too?"

"Well, only once as a cat. Usually she was in her human form."

"Huh? Human form?"Usagi exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, her and that one guy... Artemis, I think his name was."

"I didn't know they could become human whenver they wanted to."the blond murmured, scratching behind the kitten's ear. "I thought it just happened that once for Luna because I used the Ginzuishou's power."

"They said something about it taking a lot of energy."the hanyou shrugged, only mildly interested.

"I guess that makes sense."the blond said. "But I wonder why Luna never told me they can do that..."

"Somebody help!"a female voice called. The hanyou and Senshi both looked up to see a girl running into the village, exhausted. "bandits on the path! They got my brother! Someone please help!"

"Inu-chan, we have to help!"Usagi exclaimed immediately, running off in the direction the girl had come, seeming oblivious to the pain in her ankle even though she still had a steady limp.

"Serenity, wait!"the hanyou shouted, ignored by the well-meaning but stubborn girl.

xXxXxXx

"P-Please, that's all I have."the young man stuttered, one of the rubbers having a firm grip on his shirt.

"You've got to be kidding me. You're a merchant, you've gotta have more than this."the bandit growled.

"Stop!"the gang of four bandits glanced up, seeing a blond woman in strange clothes carrying a kitten running up to them. "Leave him alone!"

The men all laughed. "Oh? And just who is going to stop us?"

"I-"Usagi began before remembering. She was injured, there was no way she could take them. And even if she transformed into Sailor Moon and could fight, she couldn't hurt a person, even bad people like this. Even if she wanted to, she wasn't so sure any of her attacks would have any effect. Unlike the other Senshi, whose attacks were mostly offensive, hers were technically curative, with only two exceptions:the Moon Tiara Action, and her new Moon Twilight Flash, but that took so much energy...

"I am."InuYasha said as he stepped up behind Usagi. The bandits actually did look concerned at this. The little blond girl holding the tiny animal didn't seem very threatening, but this hanyou certainly did.

"Wait, Inu-chan."Usagi said. "You can't hurt them!"

"Why the hell not?"he blinked gold eyes in confusion at the gold-haired Princess.

"They're not youkai, they're human! And we can't kill humans, not even bad ones!"

"Well, then how else do you propose we help the guy?"

"I've had enough of listening to you two."the bandit holding the merchant frowned, tossing the frightened young man to the ground as he drew his sword. "I think it's about time I shut you up."

"Don't think so!"a young-sounding female voice exclaimed. An instant later, a blur of red shot down from a tree above, barreling into the sword-wielding bandit and knocking him to the ground. A girl stood over him, one foot clad in a dainty red slipper with silver trimming placed against his chest as she pressed her fists into her hips. She looked no older than thirteen, wearing a short red kimono with silver trim along the edges of her sleeves. Her hair was black as night, and some was tied up in buns on either side of her head tied with red ribbons, while the rest hung loose down her back to her waist. Her eyes were mismatched, the right a bright crystal blue and the left a deep violet. Hanging at her hip was a sword, the white hilt and silver handguard sticking from a black scabbard decorated with an elaborate red spider lily pattern. She seemed to be wearing something on her left wrist, but her long sleeves obscured it, making it difficult to make out.

"You really are stupid, you know."the unknown girl stated to the unconscious man, despite the fact he obviously couldn't hear her. "I mean, maybe you could've taken out the girl, but did you really think you stood a chance against the hanyou? Use your brain."

"Who they hell are you?"one of the bandits growled, all three drawing weapons and moving to surround the girl. She looked up, mismatched eyes roving over them.

"Who I am is irrelevent. Oh, I'm sorry, was that too big a word for you dimwits? Should I get you some ice before your brain overheats?"

"That's it, you little brat! Time to day!"

The girl shook her head in amusement. "Seriously? Didn't you just see me take out your boss like three seconds ago? And you still think you can take me?"

"That was a surprise attack. But we've got you surrounded now."

"And are announcing your intentions instead of getting straight to the point."she sighed before looking over in Usagi and Inuyasha's direction. "Don't worry, I won't kill them. But they definitely need to get their butts kicked. I can handle it, so just stay put."

The words were barely out of the girl's mouth before the bandit standing directly behind her lunged forward, bringing his sword swinging powerfully in a horizontal swipe. The girl ducked below the blade with minmal effort, giggling at the futile effort before kicking her leg up, her foot connecting with the man's hand painfully, hard enough to break his grip on the weapon and send it flying several feet away. The bandit backed away a few feet, yelling and clutching his hand in pain.

"You've probably got a couple busted fingers there. You might want to see a doctor."the girl advised with a grin. At that moment, the two bandits on either side of her rushed simultaneously at her. She jumped high in the air with a dainty back flip, the two men slamming into eachother as she landed on her feet with cat-like grace.

"That's the most cliche move in the book. I can't believe you actually put me in a position to need to use it."she said in an almost pouting tone. Both men had fallen to the ground, one knocked out by the collision, while the other was still conscious, but taking a few moments to collect himself and find his bearings. The bandit she'd disarmed suddenly grabbed her from behind around her waist, but she didn't seem at all bothered. Due to the signifigant difference in their heights, she was lifted so that her feet were nearly two feet above the ground.

"Oh, you think you're smart sneaking up behind me? What do you plan to do without your weapon?"

One of the bandits who'd collided stood uncertainly, seeing his friend had restrained the girl. Grinning, he rushed forward to finish her off.

"Any one with a brain knows that only works on defenseless little girls."the girl stated boredly, bringing her legs up to her chest and kicking them both stright forward to collide with the man's stomach just as he came withing range. The force of the kick knocked the air from his lungs, and even sent him flying a short distance. He landed hard on his back, a second force of air from his body, and lay there trying gather enough air to not pass out.

"Three down, one to go."the girl grinned at the man still holding her 'captive'. She tilted her head forward, then slammed it backward as hard as she could, the back of her head making contact with the man's nose. There was a crunching sound, and the man screamed in pain. His hands instinctively flew to his nose, releasing the girl in the process. Once on the ground, the girl turned to him.

"Last chance to run, big guy."

"You brat!"he growled, looming threateningly.

"Some people never learn."she sighed before ducking under a punch he aimed at her head. She grinned, tigthening her own seemingly weak fist before sending it forward and upward, connecting with an area above his stomach, just slightly beneath his ribs.

"Guh!"he gasped, eyes going wide in shock and pain.

"That'd be the solar plexus."she stated almost pleasantly as he fell slowly to his knees. "Not easy to hit, but it sure hurts and makes it hard to breathe if you do."

The last bandit fell to the ground weakly, and a quiet filled the air for a moment.

"Oh, thank you so much!"the merchant exclaimed.

"Huh?"the girl blinked innocently at the man. "Oh, it was nothing!"

"Please, I don't have much, but please take this as my thanks."

The man handed the girl the pouch of money the bandits had been trying to steal from him.

"Oh, I couldn't!"the girl waved her hands in front of her face. "I didn't do it for a reward! Those guys just deserved a butt-kicking!"

"Please, I insist."the man smiled.

"W-well, alright..."she conceded accepting the money. "Thank you very much."

"No, thank you. Oh, I must get to Hikawa Village and let Sayori know I'm alright. Thank you again. Farewell!"

With that, the man continued down the path toward the village.

"Wow, that was amazing!"Usagi exclaimed, drawing the girl's attention to them again.

"Oh, uh... It was nothing."the girl insisted, a blush staining her cheeks. Her eyes then fell on the cat in the blond's arms. "Cynthia! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The cat mewed, jumping from Usagi's arms and walking over to the girl. She jumped up on her shoulder, and the girl smiled as she pat her side fondly.

"You found her? Thank you so much for looking after her."

"Oh it was no problem!"Usagi assured her, InuYasha looking a little annoyed with the attention on the cat again. "So her name's Cynthia? I have a cat, too. Her name's Luna. Oh! I'm Usagi, and this is InuYasha. What's your name?"

The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying. "Inuko."

"Inuko? Oh, that's so cute!"Usagi exclaimed.

"Uh, yeah, I guess..."Inuko conceded. InuYasha raised an eyebrow, wondering why the girl seemed to stiff around them, when she'd been so cheerful with the merchant, and even when fighting the bandits.

"So..."Inuko began awkwardly. "Are you uh... from that Hikawa Village that guy mentioned?"

"Not really."Usagi said. "We're staying there for a little while there, at the temple."

"Ah, I could use a place to stay."the girl said, looking tired. "You think you could show me there?"

"No problem."Usagi smiled. InuYasha eyed the girl for a few moments, before looping an arm around Usagi's waist and helping her limp back to the village, the girl and her cat following behind. He had an odd feeling about the girl. Not exactly bad, but definitely strange. No normal human girl of her age should be able to take on four full grown men as easily as she had.

_Well as long as she doesn't cause any problems, _he thought. _I guess it's not really something I need to be worried about..._

xXxXxXx

Author's Notes (another large batch of 'em):

In this particular chapter, and in at least some of the following chapters, the beginning sequence goes beyond just the memory of Serenity's that Usagi regains in her dream. Starting in this chapter I'm beginning to set up the events leading up to the fall of the Silver Millennium, revealing Serenity's fiance, why Serenity suddenly stopped coming to see InuYasha, and why Usagi's new memories don't match up with the old. In order to do this, I have to show certain events that Serenity herself was not privy to. Any events occurring outside of Serenity's presence are not part of the actual dream, but rather meant to show the readers what was going on behind her back.

The role of Helios and Pegasus is following the manga version rather than the anime. In the anime they were one being, Helios able to become Pegasus at will. In the manga, while Helios took Pegasus' form in ChibiUsa's dreams, they were in fact separate, Pegasus being Helios' mount. Pegasus is portrayed in Crystal Moon as being an immortal being who serves the current High Priest or Priestess, and so was also Suki's mount while she was High Priestess in the Silver Millennium.

For those readers who are more familiar with the DiC dub than the original Japanese (or Cloverway dub, which kept the original name), the Cherry Hill Temple was originally Hikawa Jinja () or Hikawa Shrine. The kanji for Hikawa () has more than one meaning. The meaning meant to be taken in this case is "Fire River". There are three REAL Hikawa Shrines in Japan, but they are written as . While pronounced the same way, the translation of the kanji in the real Hikawa Shrines is "Ice River". The Sailor Moon one was changed to reflect Rei's element of fire. Interestingly, all three of the real shrines were actually referenced in one of the Sailor Moon universes:The shrine in Azabu was the inspiration for Naoko's original design of the shrine in the manga, the one in Akasaka was the influence for the shrine in the anime, and the shrine in Shirokane was one of the two filming locations for the shrine in the live action version, PGSM.

In reference to Usagi's response to Luna's human form:This is one point in which I am combining the anime and manga, rather than going on just one. In the anime universe, the cats never had a mantained human form, Luna only became human temporarily through Usagi wishing for it on the Ginzuishou in the Hearts in Ice movie, with Artemis and Diana never becoming human. The manga seems to have a problem of continuity in this. The first time Luna became human is the same as in the anime. However, later in the series she, Artemis, and Diana all assume human forms to which everyone's reactions seem to imply that this is normal for their race. There is a possibility that the story that the movie is based off of is not meant to be considered canon, as it is a side story with no bearing on the main story of the series, and that it was just that the side story was what made Naoko later decide to give the cats official human form. For Crystal Moon I've combined both versions. The time where Luna became human temporarily is all the Senshi have seen themselves, but the Mauian race (the race Luna, Artemis, Diana, and my character Cynthia all are) do have the ability to change between feline and human forms. However, the feline form is their "true" form, and they can only maintain human form when they have enough energy to do so. Due to the energy required, they find it easier to remain in feline form unless in a situation where their human form is necesarry, such as combat.

I was dreading writing the scene with Inuko fighting the bandits. I'm really not so great at writing fight scenes by myself. I can do decent when I'm doing one side of the fight for a role play, but more often than not I totally screw something up when doing them completely on my own. Another note concerning Inuko would be to explain the 'cuteness factor' of her name which Usagi mentions. There are several ways her name can be translated directly:Small Dog, Little Dog, Dog Child etc. All of them essentially translate to the same basic meaning:"Puppy".

The theme song for this chapter is 'True Moon' by Riwako Miyawara, from the anime Angel Links.

To answer a few more questions posed by Atea-chan (which I'm actually glad she asks because it gets me to think more deeply about my plot points):

_1)How it is thatNaraku can have three of the scouts under his control? I know Naraku and his tainted Jewel shards are powerful, but the scouts have proven that they have strong wills that are hard to break. In fact, I remember in the Sailor Star season, Amara and Michelle resisted Galaxia's control and were able to catchher off guard when they tried to take her star seed. So how was Naraku able to take control of their minds along with Hotaru's?_

It's not so much that he controls their minds. He's fully aware that they have strong enough wills that using that trick would not work. Essentially, it's a manipulation of their emotions, magnifying all the little (and some not-so-little) negative thoughts they have toward Usagi to an extreme level, to the point where rather than being little annoyances like normal, they are now seen as huge flaws which enfuriate them to the point where they see her as a terrible leader, unworthy of their devotion.

_2)And why the Outers? Whyhasn't he gone after any of the Inner Senshi...?_

Primarily due to the fact that the Outers are stronger than the Inners. Saturn alone is a huge asset just by her having power over Death and Destruction. In addition, the Outers have not been with Usagi in this life as long as the Inners have. The Inners are much closer to Usagi, and therefore even emotional manipulation is much less likely to succeed with them.

_3)Couldn't Inuyasha use his Wind Scar or the Adamant Barrage against those golems? Has Inuyasha even gotten the Adamant Barrage yet? You never answered my question on when in the "Inuyasha" anime this story takes place..._

I probably should have made it clearer during the battle, but he did try the Wind Scar, it was just during the time I was focusing on Mars and Jupiter. He doesn't yet have the Adamant Barrage. I haven't pinpointed an exact time for when in the InuYasha story this takes place, but I've narrowed it down to either shortly after Hakudoushi's creation, or after he attains Entei. My primary reason for placing it in that area is because of what of the story I've been able to see. I haven't seen Final Act and a lot of the last part of the original series. I know what happens in both, but only by reading wikias, and I'd rather rely on what I can from my own knowledge rather than possibly false information on the internet.

_4)Okay, why does Naraku keep calling the Outers back in the middle of their battles? Especially now since Amara had her opponents backed into a corner and was about to use more golems...?_

In a nut shell, it's because he doesn't actually want Usagi to be finished off by them. He's tormenting her by showing her that they've turned against her, and how much more powerful they are for it.

_5)This isn't good. Now Naraku has three of the Scouts under his control. There has to be SOME way to snap them out of it! ! Wait, could Serena use the Silver Crystal on the? A little "Moon Healing Activation" could be enough to purify the scouts of Naraku's miasma AND purify the tainted Sacred Jewel shards! !_

She would be able to purify the shards, but it's not really the shards themselves that are controlling them. The shards are only the source of their advanced power. Without them, they would return to their previous level of strength, but their emotions would still be manipulated.

_6)And if naraku isn't really after the Silver Crystal, then what is he after? Serena? I thought he was still hung up on Kikyo! !_

Pretty much, yes. But it's for very different reasons than Kikyo. I don't want to spoil too much, but let's just say he needs her alive.


	11. Chapter 10:Kisu

_"Wow, it's so pretty!"Serenity exclaimed, blue eyes staring in wonder up at the starry night sky. Streaks of light passed through the darkness periodically, the Moon Princess watching the falling stars intently from her perch on a thick tree branch. InuYasha had a red-clad arm around her waist to ensure she wouldn't fall. Dosei and Luna both stood on the ground at the foot of the tree. The princess of Saturn was watching the falling stars just as intently as Serenity was, but the Mauian beside her was more concerned with the pair above her. She wasn't as suspicious of the hanyou as Tenousei and Kasei were, but she knew how males his age were, regardless of species._

_"It's really... romantic, ne, Inu-chan?"Serenity said to the hanyou, a slight blush crossing her features. InuYasha raised a silver eyebrow at the Moon Princess, noticing she was fidgeting slightly._

_"Uh... yeah... it is."he said, not knowing what else he could say. The princess turned crystal blue eyes to him, as if expecting him to do or say something else. After nearly a minute of stillness and silence, the Princess' cheeks puffed up as she pouted._

_"Inu-chan... you just can't take a hint, can you?"_

_"Huh?"the hanyou blinked. Had he missed something? Was Serenity mad at him now?_

_"Oh, you are so oblivious!"the Moon Princess leaned closer. "Are you going to kiss me or not?"_

_"Huh?"the hanyou's eyes grew wide. The reaction was far from what the Moon Princess had expected, and she immediately backed off. Maybe she'd misinterpreted things after all. Maybe he didn't feel the same way that she did..._

_"N-Never mind."she stuttered out, averting her gaze to hide the fact that tears were beginning to well in blue eyes. She felt so stupid..._

_"Serenity..."the hanyou murmured, reaching a hand out to touch her cheek. She hesitantly raised her eyes to look at him, and a moment later he leaned forward, placing his lips against hers. It was the Princess' turn to go wide-eyed, unable to believe this was real. After a few moments, her eyes fluttered closed as satin-covered arms slipped around the hanyou's neck, happily returning the kiss. The kiss eventually broke, and Serenity noted with a smile that the hanyou was blushing just slightly._

_"I love you, Inu-chan."the Moon Princess smiled._

_"I... I love you too..."_

_Luna gazed up at the pair as they settled back to watching the meteor shower, Serenity now cradled in the half-breed's arms. Her blue eyes held a sorrowful expression, pitying her Princess. As happy as she was now, Luna knew it couldn't last. The Queen had already chosen who her daughter would wed. And even if she hadn't, she knew there was no way she would allow the Princess to marry a hanyou._

_"I know what you're thinking."Dosei murmured to the Mauian. "But for now, shouldn't we just let her be happy?"_

_"But the longer we allow this to continue, the harder it will be for her when it has to end."Luna said to the smaller girl._

_"That may be true."Dosei admit, tucking a strand of long, straight black hair behind her ear as she turned violet eyes up to the happy couple. "But... we should at least let her have these memories to carry with her. To know that she had true love will lessen the pain of what she has to endure."_

_The Mauian considered the Saturnian's words for a moment. She may be the youngest of the Moon Princess' guards, but she had her moments that made them often think she may also be the wisest. Perhaps she was right. Until the time came for them to do otherwise, they would allow the Princess her happiness._

_"You're right, Dosei."the feline woman nodded her head, pushing her wavy black hair over her shoulder as she again turned blue eyes to the happy couple perched in the tree. "I guess it's the least we can do for her..."_

xXxXxXx

Rei noticed that Usagi was uncommonly quiet at breakfast. A slight blush seemed to be gracing the blond's cheeks, and her eyes kept drifting over to InuYasha, who himself didn't notice because his gaze kept falling to that mysterious girl who he and Usagi had brought back to the temple with them the previous day. Inuko, she believed she'd said her name was. She found the girl a bit odd too, but right now, she was more concerned for the Moon Princess.

"Usagi."Rei said lowly, nudging the other girl in the side. "What's wrong? You're not usually this quiet."

"I-It's nothing, Rei-chan!"the blond stuttered, her blush growing considerably worse. Rei frowned.

"Then what are you blushing so much about."

"I'm not blushing!"she insisted, though it was clear to anyone with eyes that she was.

"Whatever you say."Rei sighed. She obviously wasn't going to get the blond to spill the beans, so she may as well drop it. But something was definitely up with her.

"So, Inuko-chan!"Kagome said to Inuko, who glanced mismatched eyes in the miko's direction. "Are you from a nearby village?"

"Um... not exactly."Inuko said, smiling softly as if she were keeping a particularly amusing secret to herself. "My home is... very far away from here. I won't be going back anytime soon."

"Oh, I see."Kagome said, wondering about the smil and the vague answer. "Where did you learn to fight? If what InuYasha and Usagi-chan said is true, that's very impressive for a girl your age."

"My Papa taught me."Inuko's smile immediately shifted from secretive to proud. "He's the best fighter ever, nobody can beat him! Except maybe Mama, but she doesn't exactly use normal tactics."

"Oh?"Sango looked to the girl curiously. "What sort of tactics does your mother use?"

A guilty look now crossed the girl's face, as if she had said something she shouldn't have.

"Um... it's kinda a family secret. Can't tell ya. Sorry."

Rei frowned. More secrets. This girl was just getting more and more mysterious as time passed. Even when they would get the answer to one question, it just led to more questions rising.

"So,"Inuko was quick to change the subject. "What are you all traveling for?"

"We're trying to find Usagi-chan's friends, and the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama."Kagome answered without a second thought, not seeming to think there was any danger in telling the girl this.

"I see..."Inuko murmured, idly stroking Cynthia's fur as the kitten sat in her lap. "Maybe I could help. I'm not really doing anything else. I'm just on a training journey really, trying to grow stronger."

"That sounds like a good idea to me, especially if she's as tough as you guys say she is."Makoto said, looking to Usagi and InuYasha.

"Y-yeah."Usagi nodded, still looking flustered. "Inuko-chan is really amazing. She was able to take all those bandits down easy without even drawing her sword."she turned blue eyes to the hanyou, her blush seeming to worsen. "What do you think, Inu-chan?"

InuYasha frowned slightly. He couldnt' deny that Inuko was a surprisingly good fighter for a thirteen-year-old girl, but at the same time she was exactly that: a thirteen-year-old girl. He knew from experience traveling with Kagome so long how moody teenage girls could get at the drop of a hat, for no apparent reason. Besides that, he didn't like how she seemed to be keeping so many secrets. He didn't think she was a threat, she definitely smelled human, and neither Miroku nor Rei sensed any malicious energy from her, but what reason could she have to keep so much to herself?

"I dunno."the hanyou said. "This group's already getting pretty crowded."

"InuYasha."Kagome frowned. "What difference does that make? We need all the help we can get, and if she's offering, I say we take it!"

"I agree."Sango backed up her friend, to which the other's all nodded, save for Rei who really didn't care either way.

"Fine."he let out a defeated sigh.

xXxXxXx

"That was surprisingly easy."Inuko said to herself as she sat on the futon of her borrowed room in the shrine.

"Yes, but you need to watch what you say."Cynthia said, giving her companion a stern look. "If you're not careful, you could give away who we really are!"

"It was one little slip!"Inuko stuck her tongue out at the kitten. "Besides, the Guardian said it's not a necessity to keep it secret, just preferable. It just makes things easier. Hell, if I wanted to I could walk up to them right now and tell them everything, and it wouldn't make a difference. In fact, it might be easier. I hate keeping secrets."

"But you promised your mother you wouldn't say anything unless you had to."

Inuko sighed. "Alright, you got me there..."

The girl crossed her arms behind her head, flopping back on the futon. She stared up at the ceiling with mismatched eyes, not truly seeing as her mind was elsewhere.

"I wonder how everyone else is doing..."she murmured.

"I'm sure everyone's fine."Cynthia stated with a stretch of her back.

"I'm worried about Maia though..."Inuko sighed. "Those anti-hanyou groups are starting to get out of hand."

"That's true, but you know if anyone lays a hand on her, her father will rip them to pieces."the cat giggled. Inuko smiled softly.

"Yeah, you're right. He'd tear them limb from limb for touching his little heiress."she let out a little sigh. "I just hope we can wrap this up soon so we can go home."

"You mean so you can see Sora-kun?"the cat said slyly. Inuko blushed bright red, immediately chucking her futon's pillow at the kitten.

"Sh-shut up, Cynthia!"

xXxXxXx

Another week passed with no serious events one could report to anyone who wondered at their progress. A few weak youkai were decimated with little incident, none of them posing any real threat, or carrying any of the limited remaining shikon shards that either they or Naraku didn't already hold.

By the end of the eighth day, they had stumbled across a bustling town, one of the larger they had come across. It was almost, but not quite, large enough to warrant the title of city.

"We should stick together, so no one gets lost."Kagome stated. Although she phrased it as if talking to the group, Inuko frowned as she got the distinct impression that she was being singled out personally.

_She always says 'we' when she means ME._ she thought almost sulkily.

"Kagome-chan, you worry too much!"Usagi said with a wide smile, turning so she could speak to the others while continuing down the path, walking backwards.

"No one is going to get lo-"

"Serenity, watch o-!"InuYasha began, but too late. The blond collided with another woman on the street, sending them both sprawling to the ground and the items the other had been carrying scattering into the dirt.

"OWIE!"Usagi whined, rubbing the back of her head where it had knocked against the stranger's shoulder during the collision.

"I'm sorry!"the other exclaimed hurriedly, even though the entire incident had been entirely the blond's fault. "Are you al-?"

The woman's question cut off, and Usagi turned to see what was wrong. Blue eyes widened, settling on a matching pair in an equally shocked face.

"Ami-chan!"Usagi exclaimed, launching herself at her friend and clinging to her. She barely registered the fact that the blue-haired genius was not wearing the clothes she'd last seen her in, but a blue yukata, no doubt to blend in and not stand out in her new environment.

"Usagi-chan. Rei-chan. Makoto-chan."Ami murmured softly, seeming nothing short of shocked to see her friends. "I... I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

As the reality of the situation settled into the Senshi, her shock melted away into a relieved smile as she finally returned Usagi's hug.

"Leave it to Usagi to find you by having a klutz attack and slamming into you."Makoto laughed. Rei sighed and rubbed her temples in mild irritation. Once again, Usagi was clinging to one of the others without waiting for her go-ahead that it was safe. Thankfully this time she clearly sensed it WAS safe, but what was she supposed to do if she did the same thing again next time and it WASN'T?

xXxXxXx

"And that about sums everything up."Rei concluded after filling Ami in on all the details of what had happened in the month and a half they'd been separated. Ami had a grim expression on her face, her arms tightening around the items she'd re-gathered from the ground during the explanation.

"I see..."she murmured. "Hotaru-chan, Haruka-san, and Michiru-san are all again us then?"

"That's right."Rei nodded.

Ami's eyes drifted then to Mamoru, who had been leaning silently against a nearby shop with a rather... uninterested expression. Almost like a child who had been dragged to a business meeting with his father, and was now regretting that he hadn't thought to bring his GameBoy with him.

"He hardly seems at all like Mamoru-san."she observed. "How long has it been?"

"A little over two weeks."the miko stated.

"Has he shown any signs of getting his memories back?"

"Not yet."

A sullen silence fell, eventually broken by Usagi.

"So Ami-chan! What have you been doing this whole time?"

"Oh!"Ami's head snapped up at that, as if she had just remembered something very important that she had forgotten. "That's right, I have to get back!"

"Back?"Makoto blinked. "Back where?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you when we get there!"

xXxXxXx

"Ami-san, you haven't been living in the woods this whole time have you?"Sango questioned as Ami walked quickly down a barely visible path through a wooded area, the rest of the group following her. She very much doubted her own statement by the neat and well-kept condition of the girl's kimono, but one never knew...

"Not exactly."Ami stated, smiling when the sounds of a child's laughter could be heard ahead.

"Luna-chan, I'm gonna get you!"a little girl's voice could be heard.

"You had Luna with you?"Usagi said in surprised, elated to have found two of her friends at once.

"Yes, we were together when we woke up."Ami nodded. "Most likely because she'd been in my lap when we were sent here."

A short while later, Ami stepped into a clearing in the forest.

"I'm back!"

"Ami-nee's back!"exclaimed the girl who had been playfully chasing Luna around the fire pit, stopping her chase to run up to the elder. InuYasha's eyes grew wide as they fell on the girl. If she was here, then that meant...

"Sorry I took so long, Rin-chan."Ami smiled at the girl. "I ran into some friends of mine."

Rin's eyes drifted up to the group curiously.

"Oh, it's InuYasha-sama and his friends! But I don't know you... or you... or you or you or you."

"Usagi!"Luna rushed forward, immediately leaping into the blond's arms.

"Luna! Oh, I was so worried!"Usagi exlaimed, hugging the cat as tightly as she could without crushing her tiny frame.

"I was worried about you, too! I didn't think you'd be able to survive in this place alone."

"Oh, but I wasn't alone. I was with Inu-chan the whole time!"

"Inu-chan?"the cat blinked before her gaze fell to InuYasha. A sharp intake of breath came from the cat.

"You!"

"Ah, so one of you finally actually remembers me."InuYasha said lazily, folding his arms behind his head. "Long time, no see. So I see you're now in cahoots with my brother."

"Sesshoumaru-sama is your brother?"Ami questioned as she neatly set the gathered supplies near the fire.

"Half-brother."InuYasha corrected.

"Ami-nee, we should start dinner!"Rin said excitedly.

Ami nodded to the little girl, giving her instructions on how to prepare the meal she'd bought supplies for.

"You seem to have gotten pretty attached to this kid."Makoto observed.

"It's not 'kid'."Rin said, puffing her cheeks out. "It's Rin."

The brunette laughed. "My bad. Sorry, Rin-chan. My name's Makoto."she jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "That's Usagi, Rei, Mamoru, and Inuko. And I'm guessing you already know InuYasha's gang."

"Um... Ami-san..."Kagome began hesitantly, the blue-haired Senshi turning to her. "If you don't mind me asking... how exactly did you end up with Sesshoumaru?"

"Oh, that."Ami stood from where she'd been crouched by the fire with Rin, brushing some dirt from her yukata. "Well, it was a few days after I'd woken up here..."

xXxXxXx

_"It's been four days, Luna."Ami murmured to the cat perched in her lap. The bluenette was leaning against a tree while seated on the forest floor, resting from her aimless travels. "And we still haven't found any of the other Senshi. I'm worried..."_

_"We're bound to find them sooner or later."Luna said encouragingly. "We may not have been brought to the same place, but I'm sure we were all brought to the same time. We were all transported simultaneously, and the Garnet Rod can't transport to multiple times at once."_

_Ami nodded in agreement, but it only did a little to ease her mind. It didn't change the fact that this place was far more dangerous than modern day Tokyo, even when they hadn't been in times of peace. She'd already had to fight half a dozen youkai on her own, and while they had been small fry that she had easily felled with a combination of the Shabon Spray and Aqua Illusion, she was sure that there were much stronger, more threatening youkai out there. Luna's memories of the Earth during the time of the Silver Millennium supported that theory, though the cat also stated it was a possibility that they had thinned out some, if the complete lack of youkai in their present was any indication._

_"Kyaa!"_

_Ami's head snapped up at the sound of a scream, sounding like it had come from a little girl._

_"That's not good!"Ami quickly stood, the cat spilling out of her lap but landing gracefully on her feet before both rushed in the sound of the scream. Ami ignored the branches whipping and snapping at her face and arms, eventually finding the source of the sound. A little girl was on the ground trembling, staring up at a large wolf-like demon that stalked toward her. But what surprised Ami was the fact that there was a second demon, and it wasn't attacking the girl. On the contrary, its stance seemed to indicate it was defending her._

_Though to be more accurate, it was more like he was TRYING to defend her, and more like because he had been ordered to rather than truly wanting to. The imp-like creature didn't look very strong at all, and Ami held no illusions that it could defeat the snarling beast before him._

_"Oh, why did Lord Sesshoumaru have to leave now of all times?"the demon was whining to himself._

_"Ami-chan!"Luna exclaimed._

_"Right."Ami nodded, her Crystal Change Rod appearing in her hand. "Mercury Crystal Power! Make Up!"_

_In a rush of silver water and bubbles, Sailor Mercury had taken the place of the normal high school student. She rushed forward as the wolf youkai began to advance toward the girl and her small protector._

_"Shabon Spray!"_

_The area was quickly engulfed in a fog of bubbles, the youkai stopping its assault as it lost sight of its target._

_"Wh-what in the world?"exclaimed the imp-like demon._

_"Are you alright?"Mercury asked, kneeling down beside the girl. The girl fearfully looked up at the blue-clad woman._

_"Wh-who are you?"_

_"My name is Sailor Mercury."the Senshi said with a smile before looking to Luna. "Luna, stay with the girl."_

_"Right."the cat nodded, the girl's eyes widening at hearing a cat talking. Mercury stood and strolled over beside the imp._

_"You're protecting the girl?"she questioned, her eyes remaining on the wolf so she would be ready when its vision returned._

_"I don't need help from a human, especially not a human woman!"_

_Mercury sighed at the expected answer._

_"I'm sure you don't. But since I'm here anyway, I may as well help."_

_The wolf snarled, the bubbles beginning to clear somewhat._

_"Shine Aqua Illusion!"_

_The youkai swiped a massive paw and batted the attack away as if it had been nothing more than a splash of river water. Mercury's eyes widened in shock. This one was stronger than the ones she'd already fought these past few days. Her bravado from moments before immediately slipped away. She wasn't so sure now if she could handle this..._

_The thought had barely crossed her mind, when suddenly what appeared to be a whip of light snapped through the air, twining around the youkai's neck. It yowled furiously, jerking its head back and forth in an attempt to get loose._

_"Lord Sesshoumaru!"the little girl exlcaimed, a relieved tone in her voice. The Senshi's eyes followed the path of the strange whip to fall upon another hanyou, more humanoid than either of the other two. He could almost pass fully for human, if not for his claws, the markings on his face, and the strange pigmentation of his hair and eyes._

_"A dai-youkai..."Luna murmured warily._

_"Jaken, I thought I told you to protect Rin. You couldn't handle this without the help of a human woman?"_

_"I didn't ask for her help!"the imp exclaimed. "She just jumped in!"_

_As the short conversation had occurred, the enemy youkai saw its chance. With a jerk of it's front, it slashed a large paw at the silver-haired youkai which had entrapped it. He immediately jumped back, but his distraction in scolding his servant had made him a half-step too slow. He got away with no signifigant injuries, but the claws grazed across his left arm, digging in and leaving for deep slashes in his flesh which quickly swelled and stained his white kimono sleeve with blood._

_"Lord Sesshoumaru!"_

_"Ami-chan, now!"Luna exclaimed, hoping the youkai's distraction with the new-comer would allow Mercury to land a finishing blow._

_"Right! Mercury! Aqua Rhapsody!"_

_The wolf began to turn, but wasn't in time to avoide the attack rocketing into him. The purifying power of the harmless-looking water made it feel like scorching flames, and the youkai howled in pain as its body began to fail. It took a few unsteady steps after the torrent finally stopped, but quickly collapsed to the ground, letting out a pained whine before its scarlet eyes sliding closed._

_"Wow..."the little girl whispered in shock. She'd never seen a human do anything like that before. She had felt certain that only youkai were capable of that sort of power._

_Mercury let out a relieved breath, finally relaxing her stance as the dai-youkai approached. He barely glanced at her before walking straight past her and to the girl she had been protecting._

_"Are you alright, Rin?"_

_"I'm fine. But your arm..."_

_"I can help."Mercury said. He immediately gave her a look that said she needed to stay out of it and go away. But she got the feeling he was more irritated that he'd allowed himself to me injured than angry with her._

_"I've studied medicine."she said as her _fuku_ faded into her street clothes. "I can take a look, and most likely tend to it."_

_"Lord Sesshoumaru..."the little girl said in an urging tone. He let out an annoyed breath before stating simply,_

_"Very well."_

_Ami smiled, approaching the youkai and carefully rolling up his kimono sleeve. The wounds were definitely bad by human standards, but she didn't think they were that bad for him. But either way, they needed to be properly cleaned and bandaged. She turned to the messenger bag hanging over her hip, opening the flap and reaching inside. She was thankful that she'd had her bag with her at the temple when she'd been pulled here, even more thankful that her first aid kit was among the things she'd had in it._

_"This might sting a little."she said as she tore open the packet of a disinfecting wipe. She carefully ran the medication-soaked cloth over the wounds, and her patient didn't even flinch. She wondered if it didn't sting at all, or if he just wasn't one to express such things._

_"If you were human, you'd definitely need stitches."she said as she reached into her bag again. "But since you're not, they should heal up fine on their own as long as we keep them from getting infected."_

_With that, she began wrapping a layer of white gauze around the wounds, winding the bandages along his entire forearm before carefully tying it off._

_"There. You should be fine as long as you keep it cleaned and covered."_

_He made a sound of affirmation, which Ami suspected was the closest she would get to a thank you. That was fine with her. She'd probably never see him again anyway._

_"That was amazing!"Rin exclaimed, looking up at Ami in awe. "I thought only youkai like Lord Sesshoumaru had that kind of power!"_

_"O-Oh, it was nothing."Ami tried to insist as Luna leapt up onto her shoulder._

_"Sailor Mercury isn't your real name, is it?"the girl pressed on. "What's your real name?"_

_Ami paused, but figured it didn't make much difference. No one in this era knew her, no one would attack anyone to find out who she was. It couldn't do any harm._

_"My name is Ami."she answered finally. She didn't bother giving her last name, knowing that in this era few people outside normal families even had a last name._

_"My name's Rin."the girl smiled brightly before turning to the dai-youkai. "Lord Sesshoumaru, we should have Ami-nee come with us! She's a big help, isn't she?"_

_"Ami-nee...?"Ami murmured to herself, unabled to help a small smile. No one had ever called her that before._

_Sesshoumaru looked the girl over calculatingly. He wasn't fond of humans, but he couldn't deny she would be useful. She had much more power than her slight frame would lead one to believe, and her knowledge of medicine would certainly be helpful. He doubted he'd have any major injuries for her to tend to, but Rin was much less sturdy than he was. Being a human and so young, she was susceptible to injury and illness out on the road. He knew little about how to tend to such problems, and was thankful it had not yet occurred. But he held no illusions that that would last forever._

_And all that aside, Rin had obviously grown quite attached to her quite quickly. They'd known eachother less than fifteen minutes, and the child already apparantly thought of her as a sister._

_"Very well."he finally conceded. "Maybe you can do a better job of looking after Rin than Jaken does."_

_"But, my lord!"Jaken immediately began arguing._

xXxXxXx

"And that's pretty much how it happened."Ami concluded, giving a stir to the stew Rin had helped her prepare as she'd talked.

InuYasha scoffed. "He let himself get hurt by a weakling like that?"

Ami gave the hanyou a displeased look, but said nothing. She knew full well just how strong the dai-youkai was, had witnessed him easily take out many more stronger youkai in the weeks since she'd joined him. His strength spoke for itself, she didn't need to justify it to this person she hardly even knew.

"When's Sesshoumaru supposed to be back, anyway?"InuYasha questioned.

"Sometime tomorrow."Ami answered, handing Rin a bowl of stew which she immediately began eating enthusiastically.

"Ami-nee, you're such a good cook!"

Ami chuckled. "I'm not that good. You should try Makoto-chan's cooking sometime."she then turned to the rest of the group. "It's getting late. You should stay here tonight."

xXxXxXx

"Are you serious?"Makoto gasped, wide green eyes staring at Usagi. The Moon Princess had just confided her newest dream to her and Ami. She had specifically waited until Rei was distracted elsewhere-as it turned out, the needed distraction had been that she had needed to use the restroom- because she knew how the miko felt about InuYasha. She would not have liked hearing this newest revelation.

"But that doesn't make sense."Ami frowned in confusion. "If you were in love with InuYasha so soon before that night, then..."

"That's what's had me so confused."Usagi murmured, her eyes drifting to the hanyou in question, who was holding a hushed conversation with Luna. "I mean, I remember being in love with Endymion. But when I think back on those old memories now... something doesn't feel right. Before he lost his memory, I talked with Mamo-chan about it, and he agrees that some of these memories have to be... fake. But the question is, WHICH memories?"

"That's a good question."Makoto stated, looking thoughtful. "Well... have you talked to InuYasha about any of these memories."

"Most of them, yeah."

"This newest one?"the brunette grinned mischievously, causing the petite blond to blush.

"N-no, not yet..."

"Well then, maybe you should."

"I... I'm not ready to ask him about that. I want to figure this out myself."

"Well, suit yourself."Makoto shrugged.

xXxXxXx

"So how is it you remember me when none of the others do?"InuYasha asked the cat who sat beside him, his gold eyes gazing around the clearing and falling across each member of his and his brother's groups.

"Artemis and I have much more complete memories than Usagi and the others."Luna stated. "Unlike the others, we didn't die and were reborn. We were put into stasis, awakening when it was time to revive the others' memories. We don't have complete recollection either though, but much more than the girls."

"So then do you remember...?"

"Your relationship with Serenity? Yes. I was there the first time after all."the cat gave a teasing grin to the hanyou.

"When..."he hesitated, not sure how best to finish the question, or if he truly wanted to know the answer. "When did she die? And how?"

Luna sighed. She knew he'd be asking that one. "About a month before her fifteenth birthday. The Moon Kingdom was attacked. There were no survivors."

InuYasha felt a tightening in his chest.

_I should have been there._ he thought to himself. _I should have been there to protect her..._

But being given that answer hadn't answered the question that had been eating at him all these centuries. As soon as he'd met Usagi, he'd consoled himself with the thought that Serenity's visits had stopped due to her death, not because she had abandoned him. But the attack that had taken her life was a full four months after she had suddenly stopped coming to see him.

"Why didn't she come back?"he asked.

"That... I don't know."the cat frowned, wracking her memory to try and recall. "All I remember is that one day she was suddenly very agreeable to her engagement, almost happy to marry him. But then there were some political issues, and the Queen ended the engagement. But that didn't stop the Princess. It was almost as if..."the cat suddenly seemed concerned as the proper way to word the Princess' behavior suddenly occurred to her. "... as if he were you. That's the way she acted about him..."

"As if he were me?"the hanyou frowned. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know how to explain it. She would sneak out of the palace to meet him, just as she did with you. She would always talk with me and the rest of her guards about him, just like she always talked about you."

"But... why would she do that?"

"I don't know. It doesn't make sense."the cat seemed confused at her own recollections, and she started to wonder if she was remembering things correctly.

The hanyou turned his gaze to the golden-haired Princess, who was whispering to Ami and Makoto about something or another. Luna was right, it didn't make sense. Serenity had not been the type to simply suddenly change her preferences like that. If she said she loved someone, that sentiment remained with her forever. Even if that affection were to slip away from the romantic, she would still do everything in her power to be sure that the person remained a dear friend, and she certainly wouldn't start acting like they were non-existant.

_She said she loved me. And Serenity is not the type of woman to lie about that, or suddenly make it irrelevent. Something must have happened. Someone must have done something to her. The question is who and what?_

xXxXxXx

Sesshoumaru could almost say he felt a migrain coming on, if he were the type to admit to such trivialities. When he had returned with Jaken and Ah-Un to where he had left Ami and Rin, he had expected to only find his ward and the woman he had entrusted her care to. He had certainly not expected to find his brother and his group, along with a handful more people he was not familiar with.

The dai-youkai gave Ami a disapproving look, and the girl quickly explained her reasoning. Three of the unfamiliar women with InuYasha, as well as the man, were among the friends she had been hoping to find the entire time they had been together. He supposed he couldn't fault her then for allowing them to stay.

"So then you are going to go with my brother?"the dai-youkai questioned. Ami looked uncertain at that, her hand on Rin's shoulder as the child clung to her blue yukata.

"Ami-nee, I don't want you to go."Rin said with big, tear-filled eyes.

"Rin-chan..."Ami murmured softly as she looked down to the child. She had grown very attached to the little girl having been with her so long, and she would even venture to say she felt the same about Sesshoumaru and Jaken, though to very different degrees than to the child, and even to one another. But at the same time, it was her duty to stay with and protect Usagi.

Usagi could tell Ami was agonizing over what to do. She was sure that Ami felt the same way about Sesshoumaru's group as she did about InuYasha's. When she thought of having to leave them behind, she couldn't bear it. Ami must feel the exact same way. She could think of only one way to solve this without anyone being hurt...

"Sesshoumaru-sama."Usag spoke up, approaching the dai-youkai. Gold eyes feel to her with an irritated expression. She noted they were the exact same color as InuYasha's, but they had a much colder air to them. She gathered up her courage and continued.

"Why don't we just comine our groups? We're all working to defeat Naraku, so it makes sense."

"What?"InuYasha exclaimed, shocked at the idea of having his brother in his travel party. Never mind the fact that there was certainly no love lost between him and his brother, if they were together there would be a repeated power struggle, neither of them willing to listen to the other on anything.

"That's a great idea!"Rin said immediately. "Oh, please, Lord Sesshoumaru! I don't want Ami-nee to go away!"

The dai-youkai looked down at the puppy dog eyes the human child was giving him, while Usagi simultaneously cast the same look on InuYasha. Ami was also looking at Sesshoumaru hopefully, though not in the same exaggerated fashion as the other two.

In unison, both brothers' eyes turned to one another, neither looking pleased to even be in eachother's presence. How in the hell were they going to solve this one?

xXxXxXx

Author Notes:

That's right, I finally figured out what the hell to do with this chapter! It wasn't exactly writer's block like with Sakura Senshi, but more the fact that I had to scrap my original plan for the chapter and start from scratch again...

Yes, I know Luna's eyes are brown. HOWEVER, in her human form in the anime, and even in colored sketches of her human form in the manga, they change to blue.

As I was typing the conversation between Inuko and Cynthia, I started thinking a little bit about how their voices should sound. I more or less imagine Inuko as being voiced by Chiaki Omigawa (Maka of Soul Eater), and Cynthia by Emiri Kato (Blair also of Soul Eater) for Japanese voices. For English, I'm thinking for Inuko, Michelle Ruff (somewhere between her Yukari of Persona 3 voice and her Ashley of Time Hollow voice) and for Cynthia, Stephanie Sheh (Orihime of Bleach). Forgive my little rant, but I spent like an hour deciding on this and I figured rather than having wasted time with info only I'd know I'd at least let you guys know it... I've actually added voice actor info to my deviantArt journal entry pertaining to info for the story's original characters, but I haven't completely decided on all of them just yet.

And yes, that little bit at the beginning of the segment right before bumping into Ami was just my little semi-fourth-wall-breaking smart-asserry. XD

Yes, I realize a month and a half seems like a long time. But one must take into consideration that towns in feudal Japan weren't just "a few hours' walk" like modern times. They were greatly spaced, taking days and sometimes even weeks between them. Plus, there's the fact that they're passing through more towns than the ones I specifically chronicle, they're just not explicitly stated as nothing happens in them beyond buying supplies and spending a night or two in an inn or house acquisitioned (not even sure I spelled that right...) by Miroku.

And I am having so much fun with these little lines of comparing Mamoru to a child in a given situation. XD

And I appear in the story! XD Okay, lame joke... My friends have called me Rin since I was fifteen because I'm a Sesshoumaru fangirl. Of all my random anime-related nicknames, it's the one that's stuck with me the longest, and I still use it. Also, for those unfamiliar with Japanese, when Rin calls Ami 'Ami-nee', it basically means 'Big Sister Ami'.

For those who only know dub attack names:what the dub calls Bubbles Blast was originally Shabon (Bubble) Spray.

If the phrase existed back then, we know InuYasha and Sesshoumaru would both be thinking 'fuck my life!' lol I ended it on a cliffy basically because I haven't decided yet for myself how they're going to resolve this. I'd actually like to see feedback from my reader's on the subject to help me make my decision.

And yet more questions to answer! (I always have fun with this section w) Most are again from Atea-chan, which means she's the one paying most attention ^.~

1._So Izanami & Izanagi are from the future? I just checked your journal on_

_Deviantart. How come Kikyo isn't in in your list of characters? Wasn't she in_

_one of your trailers on YouTube?_

Yes, Nami and Nagi (which I lazily call them for short) are from the future, and while not blood-related to her, Inuko considers them her cousins. Any details beyond that will be left for later (though to be honest there are further details on the Crystal Moon Original Characters entry in my journal, but that whole entry has HUGE spoilers for all my original characters). As for Kikyo, she's one of a few characters I'm actually not sure yet as to whether or not they will appear, the others being Kouga and his entourage. I'd definitely like to include them, but I'll have to see if I can work them in without doing something like tossing them in randomly where I could have done fine without them. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to manage bringing Sesshoumaru's group in either. This chapter was originally plotted nowhere NEAR where it ended up, and in fact had nothing to do with him until I was brainstorming how to change the chapter because it needed to be changed after the change I did to the Shattered Memories chapter.

2._That reminds me of another question I've been meaning to ask. How are the_

_scouts' families and friends reacting to their disappearance? I mean, they've_

_been gone for about a month now. They must be worried sick! Could Kagome bring_

_them through the Bone-Eater's Well so they can let their families and friends_

_know that they're okay...?_

To be honest... that was something that had totally slipped my mind, and I am SO glad you brought it up. Kagome could visit their families for them, but it's been made clear in InuYasha (the video games at least...) that you can only return to the present through the well if that was the way you got to the Feudal Era in the first place. The main characters in Secret of the Cursed Mask (Kaname or Michiru Kururugi) and Secret of the Divine Jewel (Janis) were both from Kagome's era. Janis was able to go back and forth with the well, because that was how she got there in the first place, but Kururugi just fell to the bottom, because s/he was brought there by completely different means.

3._So Inuyasha met Luna & Artemis in their human forms five-hundred years ago? Do_

_Luna and Artemis remember anything about Inuyasha's involvement with Princess_

_Serenity back during the Silver Millennium...?_

Hopefully, this chapter answered that question for me lol

4._So that girl's name is Inuko? I wonder why she seems so nervous around_

_Inuyasha & Serena. Does she know them in the future?_

Without giving away too much, I'll just say that yes, she does know them. And that's all I'll say.

5._If Naraku really did just enhance the Outers' negative emotions for Serena,_

_then how come Hotaru didn't say anything degrading about her? She just acted_

_like a power-hungry psycho. She kinda reminded me of Mistress 9 at the time..._

Basically, because the primary annoyance amplified in Hotaru's case is the fact that she has such unlimited destructive power... and isn't allowed to use ANY of it. She always felt inadequate in battle because she was forbidden from using any of her real attacks, only allowed to rely on her glaive. While we know this is because it would kill her, and it isn't Usagi's fault, Naraku's manipulation has shifted her thoughts that way.

6._how could Naraku have know that the Outer Scouts aren't as close to_

_Serena as the Inner Scouts are? He hasn't even met them before they came to_

_this time! Right...?_

He initially didn't know. However, the first Senshi he gained control of filled him in on all the details. The first Senshi he controlled was Saturn, his reasoning being just in the power she holds, and it was through her information that he learned that his best chances were in the Outers, and that the Inners should be best kept for later...

7._So Naraku keeps calling the controlled scouts back so he can keep torturing_

_Serena? ! Ugh, I should've known! ! That creep completely enjoys making people_

_suffer for his own amusement! ! But why do I get the feeling that he's_

_torturing her for some other reason besides his own amusement and to show how_

_powerful they are because they're controlled by him? It feels like all the_

_times he's tortured Inuyasha and his friends. It feels sort of... personal..._

Oh, it's personal all right. But that shall be elaborated on fairly soon.

8._wouldn't the Silver Crystal be able to break whatever spell Naraku's_

_using to manipulate the Outer's emotions? And if Serena did purify the Jewel_

_Shared they have, wouldn't they still retain their "Shikon Senshi" forms,_

_albeit they be "Dark Shikon Forms" anymore...?_

While the Shards they carry aren't responsible for the control on them, Naraku's own powers are boosted by the nearly complete Jewel fragment he himself carries. The Shikon Jewel and Ginzuishou are about equal in power, and trying to break its control would be a constant tug of war of power, likely to end in the Ginzuishou shattering, with no absolute guarantee that it would have broken the spell in the first place. Purifying individual shards is a possibility, but Naraku would simply call them back again and replace the purified shard with another corrupted one.

9._Why would Naraku need Serena alive? Just what twisted plan has that bastard_

_come up with this time...?_

A dastardly plan that involves revenge and yet more screwing with everyone's emotions... y'know, the usual stuff with Naraku.

And lastly is my response to what is actually just a comment, not so much a question.

_i wanted to comment about the Ginzuishou. It's only the lunarian royal blood_

_line who can use the ginzuishou that does not stop others from trying to get_

_there hands on it and trying to use it though, they will fail the only best_

_way to actually get it to work is the princess.. getting Usagi to do what they_

_want._

While only the heir can truly USE it, it's still possible to draw energy from it, which is what the little random demons are intending to do. Naraku's plans are different of course, which is exactly why he needs Usagi alive and hasn't allowed the Outers to kill her.


	12. Chapter 11:Fragmented Garnet

_"For the last time, Mama, I have no intention of marrying him."Serenity said with a sigh, irritated for having to say this for what felt like the thousandth time._

_"Serenity, it is a binding contract. One which I will not be responsible for breaking."the Queen said calmly, fixing blue eyes on her daughter from across the dinner table. She had also lost count of how many times she and her daughter had had this argument. She of course wanted her daughter's happiness, but at the same time she had her duty as Queen, and her daughter as Princess and next Queen. The good of their subjects came before personal interest, and the merger of all the worlds as one was essential to the lasting peace between them all. The others had forged their loyalty long ago, during the time of her own mother's rule. While their kingdom stood as the central ruling force, each individual kingdom's royal family retained their title and power over their own world, with little interference from the Lunarians unless necessary. The only difference between now and two generations prior was the guard system, placing the heirs of each minor kingdom as the bodyguards of the heir of the central kingdom. This last world was the only one yet to merge with the others, and they certainly had not taken to the idea of committing their heirs to being "lowly bodyguards" as the King had called it. She had been unable to think of any other alternative that the King would be willing to accept. It had seemed her best, and only, option to finally achieve what she must to maintain lasting peace between the collective Kingdoms of Sol._

_But of course, Serenity was stubborn and still did not understand the gravity of their situation. She wished she could allow her daughter to marry whoever she wanted, but they were backed into a corner and that simply wasn't an option. It didn't help that she had the distinct feeling that her daughter's betrothed didn't like the idea anymore than she did, though he certainly wasn't fighting it as she was. He seemed to want to do whatever would make his father happy. If she were honest with herself, she got the feeling the one time she'd seen the two together that the Prince might have had feelings for that Priestess who was so important to his Kingdom. But as her position left her forbidden to wed, at least until she passed on her title, he had resigned himself to it never being. The Priestess would be pushing thirty before that happened, and the Kingdom simply could not risk waiting even that long for their heir to marry. With no siblings or cousins for the throne to fall to in the event that something should befall him, he needed to produce an heir of his own as soon as possible._

_"But he's just so... boring."the Princess huffed, interrupting her mother's train of thought. "It's always 'fencing' this, and 'tactics' that. The only time I don't feel like falling asleep is when he decides to turn the subject to flowers."_

_The Queen smiled. "Well, at least that's one thing you have in common."_

_"I suppose. But we don't even like the same types of flowers."_

_The golden-haired Princess allowed her thoughts to drift back on the first time her 'fiance' had finally mentioned a subject she found interesting. He'd talked about several flowers, even ones that could only be found on his or one of her guards' home worlds. But even in that subject, he had been rather irritating. He always compared any of the other world's flowers to similar ones on his own world. When she mentioned the cherry blossoms that all but covered Mokusei's palace, he had insisted those of his world were better. Serenity had to voice her disagreement there. She had seen the cherry blossoms of his world, and while they were indeed pretty, they didn't hold a candle to the to the white-pink of those on Jupiter, drifting beautifully almost like snow on the breeze. Any flower she mentioned brought similar arguments:his world's roses were more beautiful than the sand roses one could only find in the red deserts of Kasei's world, his world's jasmine outshone the almost crystalline ice jasmine of Suisei's world of snow and ice, he had even had the gall to boast about how his world's lilies were a much 'purer color' than the golden moon lilies Serenity had been tending since she was a child!_

_"Well, what about spider lilies?"she'd questioned casually, curious as to his opinion on her now-favorite flower. It far eclipsed her previous love of her own moon lilies._

_The young man had frowned at her. "Spider lilies? We plant them in graveyards so wild animals won't dig up the graves. They may as well be a weed."_

_Serenity had had to grip her blue skirt with both hands to keep from slapping him._

_"That's not all they're good for!"she'd protested before reciting the story InuYasha had told her when she'd received her gift. He'd laughed._

_"That's just a legend. It's not true, Serenity."_

_"It doesn't matter whether it actually happened or not."she'd muttered, angry that the one subject they had in common was now moot._

_"He and I just don't get along, Mama."Serenity concluded, turning crystal blue eyes to her mother. The queen reached out, gently laying her hand upon her daughter's._

_"Everything will work out fine, Serenity. You'll see."_

xXxXxXx

_"She's clearly not interested, and frankly, neither am I."the prince stated in an irritated tone. Kumo gave his lord an assuring smile._

_"It can't be all that bad, my lord."_

_"It is. The only reason I'm doing this is to make father happy."_

_Kumo fought not to frown at the statement. "Well what else would you do, my lord?"_

_"If I had my way, I'd rather marry Suki..."he muttered, almost to himself, his mind drifting to his long-time friend._

_"You know that isn't possible, my lord."_

_"Yes, I know."the prince sighed, running a hand back through onyx hair. "She's forbidden to wed as long as she holds the title of High Priestess, and I can't afford to wait until then to marry. I've been told that multiple times, from you, father, even Kunzite."_

_"We only want what is best for you, Prince Endymion."the servant smiled._

_"Yes, I know..."Endymion gave another sigh before noticing the time. "Damn, I'm late. Zoisite swore if I missed another lesson, he'd make me regret it."_

_Without another word, Endymion rushed from the garden. The fake smile fell from Kumo's face, morphing into an amused grin._

_"Such futile resistance to fate."he chuckled, leaning against the low stone wall surrounding the rose garden. "But futile or not, this troublesome fighting is slowing our progression. I do believe it's time I go over the heads of these silly children..."_

xXxXxXx

Usagi was seriously starting to regret she'd made that suggestion two days ago. The two brothers were pointedly attempting to pretend the other didn't exist, which seemed to have varying degrees of success. They hadn't spoken two words to each other, and there had been no altercations so far, but Usagi was sure she'd seen them both fighting a strong reflex to reach for their swords on at least a three occasions. A day. Each.

She'd honestly been surprised that the two had agreed to her suggestion, though both had certainly seemed less than willing about the whole thing. She was happy though, as was Ami. Rin was downright ecstatic, and that seemed to be all that mattered to Sesshoumaru.

"Make no mistake, _otouto._"he'd said coldly. "I don't intend for us to suddenly become a happy family. Ami is simply too valuable an ally to just hand over to you."

"Whatever."InuYasha had scoffed. "If anyone but Serenity had suggested it, I wouldn't even be considering it."

Which was how they found themselves where they were now. As was common for the ragtag group, they were getting themselves settled for the night. Ami and Makoto were preparing a simple dinner for the group, little Rin aiding them while simultaneously trying to learn and memorize the recipe. InuYasha and Sesshoumaru stood at opposite ends of the camp, trying to ignore one another, but the Moon Princess occasionally noticed either brother piercing the other with displeased, golden eyes.

As for Usagi herself, InuYasha had demanded she sit and rest. The injury to her ankle had somewhat healed, to the point where she no longer needed the _hanyou_ to carry her everywhere, but she still limped whenever she put weight on the leg in question. She'd insisted on being allowed to do something, even something as small as gathering firewood for the campfire, but InuYasha had been firm in his position. He didn't want her doing anything until she was fully recovered. She had even been forbidden from aiding in battle against any of the _youaki_ they'd fought since her injury, even though they were small fry.

Due to this, Usagi had been left with little to do but ponder the group she now found herself in. Things seemed to steadily grow more and more... well, interesting for lack of a better word. Ami had been given one of Kagome's jewel shards to see if she could absorb its power as the other Senshi had, an experiment that had proven a complete success. Then of course was their every-mysterious enigma, Inuko. She had kept largely to herself, almost blending into the background, but the presence of her and her kitten was still felt amongst the group just as clearly as if she had been a loud-mouthed annoyance. She'd definitely been eager to allow the child into the group, but with so much time to think on her hands, Usagi had begun to realize just how little they really knew about the girl.

_She can fight, she learned to fight from her father. Her mother is the only person who can defeat her father, at least by her beliefs. She's from somewhere far away, and won't be going back anytime soon. Beyond that, we know pretty much nothing... She's always keeping secrets. Why is that?_

"Don't think too hard, or you'll hurt yourself."Makoto teased the petite blond with a chuckle. Usagi glanced up at the taller girl.

"Mako-chan..."

"Thinking about the little squirt, huh?"

Blue eyes blinked. "How'd you know?"

"You've been basically staring in her direction the past ten minutes or so."the brunette pointed out, her own emerald eyes drifting to the girl in question. With nothing else to do to keep herself busy before dinner and bed, she was sitting cross-legged near a close by tree, in a meditative position.

"She is quite a little mystery, huh? Y'know, in some ways, she kinda reminds me of ChibiUsa."

Usagi's eyes went wide at that. Like ChibiUsa...

"Mako-chan... what if that is what this is?"

Makoto laughed. "What, you think Inuko is the future child of one of our entertaining new friends? What are the odds of that? Besides, ChibiUsa came from a time where what we are is common knowledge, so getting to Pluto and getting a Time Key wasn't exactly the most difficult thing in the world. Maybe not the easiest thing, but if a six-year-old can manage it, it certainly couldn't have been _too_ tough. Theoretically, if Inuko WAS one of theirs, it would mean she'd be alive sometime between now and our present. In other words, a time when not only are Sailor Senshi a little known fact, but Pluto is the only one to even have a living incarnation. I highly doubt with her being the only one of us to exist, Inuko would somehow just HAPPEN to stumble upon her and snag a Time Key."

"I guess you're right..."Usagi murmured, though she wasn't completely convinced that her theory was totally false. As unlikely as it all was, nothing was totally impossible.

"Still..."Makoto sighed. "She sure does like to keep her little secrets. Anyone less trusting than you probably wouldn't keep her around. InuYasha certainly wasn't going to until you insisted you wanted to."

"It wasn't just me. Everyone else agreed."

"Except Rei."Makoto chuckled.

"Yeah, but Rei-chan just didn't seem to care either way."

"I guess."the brunette shrugged. "We still haven't seen her in action with that sword of hers. I realy want to see if she's any good with that thing, or if it's just for show."

xXxXxXx

A dark hand braced against a nearby tree, strained breath shuddering past painted lips. Fighting was becoming so hard. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out. Even now she felt such unwarranted negative feelings boiling in her toward her...

"I have to find her... Have to warn her... while I still can..."she panted out, wincing.

She couldnt' give in... She shuddered to think what that madman would do with a power like hers at his disposal. She couldn't allow that to happen. She'd die first...

xXxXxXx

"Sesshoumaru-sama."Ami said quietly, causing gold eyes to fall to the blue-haired Senshi of Knowledge. She was seated on the ground not far from the group campfire, Rin fast asleep with her head in her lap as she idly stroked the girl's long, dark hair. All the others were also fast asleep, even InuYasha. It had taken much convincing, but Ami and Usagi had convinced the two seemingly sleepless _youkai_ to take turns keeping watch during the night, rather than staying up all night to watch over the group. It was Sesshoumaru's turn first that night, and Ami hadn't yet been tired enough to go to sleep. So, she thought now would be a better time than any to ask what was on her mind.

"Why do you hate InuYasha so much?"

Sesshoumaru frowned, tempted to simply tell the teen that it was none of her business. But, though he would never admit it aloud, he had over time grown fond of the little genius. She definitely had her uses, and she wasn't as annoying as every other human he knew, Rin excluded. Besides, she was the only one awake, so it wasn't like anyone else would hear his business.

"It's because of him and his mother that my father is dead. They made him weak."

"What do you mean?"Ami asked in confusion. Sesshoumaru paused before quietly telling her of the day his father had died, protecting his youngest son and human lover.

"You can't blame InuYasha and Lady Izayoi for that."Ami murmured softly. "It wasn't weakness that killed your father."

"But..."Sesshoumaru began with a frown.

"Let me ask you something."Ami interrupted, gazing down at the child slumbering in her lap. "If you were in your father's position, and Rin's life were in danger, would you hesitate to save her?"

"No..."Sesshoumaru murmured lowly, already knowing exactly where Ami was going to go next.

"Exactly. You and your father are not like the little _youkai_ we fight day in and day out. You are much more powerful and intelligent. Your intellect meets, and almost certainly exceeds, humans. And that means your emotions are also on par with humans. You are able to love, and desire to protect those you love. And those feelings don't make you weaker, but stronger. You know, you and your brother aren't as differenta s you think. You both have someone you want to protect, and that drives many of your actions."

Sesshoumaru didn't respond, not wanting to admit even to himself that Ami was right. He gave a defeated sigh, sitting beside the Senshi.

"It figures the first time I meet a human who isn't a fool, they have to be intelligent enough to point out the flaws in my own thinking..."

Ami giggled. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"I disagree."the _youkai_ murmured. "I doubt any human who exists in this era is as intelligent as you are."

Ami blinked blue eyes in surprise. Had the cold _daiyoukai_ just given her a compliment? She allowed a smile to cross her lips. She'd noticed bit by bit that in the time she'd been with his group, he'd been warming up to her a little at a time. A month ago, he never would've spoken to her as honestly as they were now.

"But you know... you really should try to get along with him. He is your brother, after all."

"Everything else aside, he's still an annoyance."Sesshoumaru stated point blank. Ami giggled again.

"Don't you know siblings are supposed to bug eachother?"

Gold eyes turned to her, a barely perceptable spark of amusement glinting in them. "Do you have any siblings?"

"No. My parents were divorced when I was young and neither of them were remarried. But I've spent enough time at Usagi-chan's house to know that brothers and sisters always drive eachother crazy."

"Hm, is that so...?"the _daiyoukai_ murmured, eyes falling to his sleeping brother. "I will take your words into consideration, Ami. But I make no promises."

Ami nodded in understanding.

xXxXxXx

"Really, Inu-chan, I think it's healed enough for me to walk on my own."Usagi insisted the next morning as the group was preparing to set out again.

"I don't think so."InuYasha frowned. "You're still limping, Serenity. Besides, last time I let you walk on your own, you plowed into Suisei, remember?"

"Well, maybe I'll plow into one of the others next and we can get this whole thing over with faster."the blond said with a bright smile. Most people would have used that answer with sarcasm in their tone, but InuYasha could tell the former Moon Princess was completely serious.

"That isn't a very efficient way of finding people, Usagi-san."Miroku chuckled.

"InuYasha..."Kagome suddenly murmured. "I... I think I sense a jewel shard."

"You think?"InuYasha frowned as he turned to the _miko_. "Why don't you sound so sure about that?"

"It's sort of... fluctuating."Kagome frowned. "It'll be there one moment, then disappear for a moment and be back again. I don't really understand it..."

"Can you still tell what direction it's in, Kagome?"Sango questioned. Kagome nodded, pointing off in the direction the shard was coming from.

"That way. It's a little ways off, but not too far."

"I don't sense a demonic presence that way."Miroku said before turning to Rei for a second opinion. The _miko_ was frowning.

"I sense... something."Rei murmured. "It's not demonic, but it's unsettling. It can't seem to decide for itself whether it's malicious or benevolent. It keeps fluctuating between the two..."

"More fluctuations, huh?"InuYasha frowned.

"What difference does all this make?"Sesshoumaru finally spoke up. "Those shards are your goal, aren't they? So then shouldn't you be determined to collect them regardless?"

"He has a point, InuYasha."Shippou agreed. InuYasha glared at the both of them, not wanting to admit that his brother actually had a good point.

"So then, let's go!"Usagi said cheerfully, walking off ahead of the group again despite her limp.

"Serenity!"InuYasha called in an exasperated tone, swifting following behind the blond. Why did she have to be so much trouble?

Just as Kagome had said, it was a bit of a walk, but not far. After fifteen minutes of walking, InuYasha, who had taken the lead again after catching up to Usagi, came to a halt, putting a hand beside himself to stop the blond only a few feet behind him. A confused expression crossed Usagi's face as she peeked around the _hanyou's_ arm, a gasp escaping her.

A woman, presumably human, was slumped to the ground with her back to a tree, her breathing ragged. She wore a black kimono, but it was tattered and shredded, leaving her legs nearly bare and clearly showing the darker coloring of her skin. Her face was curtained by her hair, a deep lush green rivaling the leaves of the tree she rested against.

"We have to help her!"Usagi said instantly, darting around InuYasha's arm before he could stop her. She hobbled over to the woman as quickly as she could, kneeling beside her.

"Are you alright, _ojoo-san_?"the blond questioned. The woman turned her face up, and Usagi felt her face break into a wide smile as garnet-colored eyes met hers. "Setsuna-san!"

"Pr-Princess..."Setsuna murmured strainedly. "I finally found you... I was worried I'd be too late..."

"Too late?"Usagi questioned as the rest of the group approached.

"Your aura is off, Setsuna-san."Rei said with a frown, not liking the fluctuating of the Solder of Revlution's intent. The elder Senshi gave a tired laugh.

"Sharp as always, Mars. To be totally honest, it's taking every ounce of willpower I have... not to put my hands around the Princess' neck right now."

InuYasha was pushing Usagi back from the woman before the entire sentence had left her lips. Usagi clung to his kimono sleeve, looking at her friend in disbelief.

"Setsuna-san... how can you say that?"

"It's... difficult to explain."Setsuna forced out. Her eyes drifted across the group, lingering on InuYasha, then on Kagome. An amazed laugh passed her maroon-painted lips. "You actually found him? Amazing. And to think you'd actually find her as well... It must be fate... Proof that Her Highness' decision was wrong..."

"Setsuna-san, what are you talking about?"Makoto questioned.

"No... No time..."Setsuna breathed. "Princess, listen and listen well. That _youkai_... Naraku. You've seen the effects of what he's done to Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru-chan?" the blond gave a nod. "I'm not entirely certain how he does it myself. Those corrupted shards he gave them... they're a concentrator for the spell, but they aren't the source of it. Even if you were to purify those shards, it would make little difference."

"So he really is controlling their minds?"Ami questioned. Setsuna shook her head.

"No... Not their minds. You should know from what happened with Galaxia that Haruka and Michiru are stronger than that. It's... their emotions. They're manipulated, diminishing their good thoughts of the Princess, and intensifying the bad. I was able to hold on for this long... only because of my memories of you as Queen."she gave a sad smile to the blond. "You've given me so many happy thoughts, Princess, that it's taken this long for his spell to truly take effect. But it's not so hard for the others. Haruka and Michiru spent so much time opposed to your beliefs, and Hotaru-chan holds that grudge that she never wanted to voice, even to herself."

"Hotaru-chan's had a grudge against me?"Usagi asked sadly.

"I don't think even she was ever truly aware of it."Setsuna explained. "She always feels useless in battle, unable to rely on her power. On a subconscious level, I believe she resents all of us to at least some degree, for being able to use our own powers so freely. I don't think she was consciously aware of it though."

"If purifying the shards won't work, then how _do_ we break his control on them?"Sango asked.

"The... the only way is to defeat him."Setsuna said, seeming to be struggling even more with her words. "He must be destroyed... but before that.. there is something more important I came here to do..."

Setsuna stood shakilly, pulling back the folds of her kimono to show a _shikon_ jewel shard embedded in her chest, shining darkly.

"Pluto Shikon Power. Make Up."she murmured weakly. Dark sand surrounded her for a moment before falling to the ground, revealing her new form. At first it was the pure form of Usagi and those not influenced by Naraku, but after a few moments it faded into the dark form of Naraku's corruption. A few moments later it returned to the pure form, and it continued to fluctuate this way repeatedly.

"Princess... I'm not sure how much longer I can keep from giving in..."the green-haired Senshi whispered. "You know as well as I do what a madman like him could do with the power to go back in time... He'd be even worse than the Dark Moon Clan. That's why..."

The Garnet Rod appeared in her hands, glowing faintly with its power.

"I had to make sure this was out of his hands before I gave in. Without the Rod, my power is limited. I can still manipulate the flow of time in very limited areas and ways. I can make a plant grow, or restore a person's youth. But without the Rod, I have no way of accessing the Time Gates. It must be kept out of his hands... kept out of _my_ hands until I can remain in my right mind."

Usagi nodded hesitantly, stepping forward and taking the key-shaped weapon from its wielder. Pluto let out a relieved breath. Her eyes fell again to Kagome.

"To think we would meet again... but I'm sure you don't remember."her eyes drifted then to Mamoru, who seemed confused as ever. "It truly must be fate... To think the ebb of time would create a line such as this..."

"Setsuna-san?"Usagi questioned, Kagome blinking in confusion.

"You must defeat him, Princess."Setsuna murmured. "We couldn't stop him in the Silver Millennium, but we must do so now. Must defeat Ku-"

Setsuna's sentence cut off as she gave a pained cry, her hands going to her head. InuYasha was immediately before Usagi again in a protective stance. The fluctuationg of her uniform seemed to be slowing, beginning to settle into the corrupted form. Pluto gathered all of her willpower to force herself to take three shaky steps back. Sorrow and hatred seemed to alternate in her eyes as she gazed at her Princess.

"I can't hold on anymore, Princess. I'm sorry. The next time we meet... we will be enemies..."

Without another word, a rush of sand surrounded the dark Senshi and she vanished. A strained silence hung in the air for a long time before Usagi slumped to her knees, still clutching the Garnet Rod in her hands.

"Setsuna-san..."she sobbed. InuYasha knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her soothingly.

"She risked a lot to do what she did."Miroku said in a comforting tone. "She is doing everything in her power to ensure that we have a chance to win against Naraku, Usagi-san."

"And now we know that she and the others _can_ be saved."Makoto assured her. "All we gotta do is kick Naraku's ass, and we're golden!"

Usagi nodded her head, wiping her tears before standing with InuYasha's help. She looked over her collective group of friends, giving a shaky smile.

"But before that, we still need to find Minako-chan."she murmured, to which the other Senshi nodded.

"Don't worry, Serenity."InuYasha murmured assuredly. "Everything will be alright in the end. I swear it."

The blond looked up at the _hanyou_. She could certainly see why her past incarnation had cared for him so much... loved him so much. But she wasn't yet certain if those feelings had crossed over time and remained with her current incarnation. She had already made the mistake once before of thinking she was meant to be with someone just because she had been in a previous life. She didn't want to make that mistake again. She needed time... time to be sure...

xXxXxXx

Author Notes:

First off, I greatly apologize for this having taken so long. I was a bit stuck on exactly how I wanted to do this chapter. I recently found my old outline for how I ORIGINALLY planned on doing this story, (it would have broken down to about 37 chapters, though some would have been quite short), and spent a long time bouncing back and forth between keeping this one close to my originally intended plot and coming up with something new as I had for certain other chapters (IE, my original plan for Uranus had been simply that she was causing earthquakes in a region... aren't we glad I took a break and waited till I got more creative before getting deep into it?) before I finally set firmly on my course of action, which was to start from scratch and completely scrap my original plan for Pluto's chapter. I can also make no promises as to my next update, as I'm preparing to move again, will hopefully be working, and MAY be without internet for an undeterminate amount of time.

Originally, the beginning involved a description of the process of how the High Priest/ess position is passed from one generation to the next, but after typing it out I realized due to its length it heavily interrupted the flow of the story, and that the process really isn't all THAT important, so it was removed. It'll be included in Suki's chapter of _Another Side, Another Story_ (a side project uploaded exclusively to my deviantArt and not to Fanfictionnet) .

What Serenity's fiance says about spider lilies is actually true (and even mentioned briefly by InuYasha when he gave it to her). The bulb of a spider lily is poisonous, and so they are planted in cemeteries so that animals won't burrow in the graves. In addition, even though it's written to sound like he was being an ass about the flowers, it's only because it was written as how it seemed to Serenity. It was actually more of a, "If you like flowers, there are nice ones where I come from, you'd love 'em!" He was basically trying to use the only middle-ground he could find with her to get rid of the animosity she had toward him... though he failed miserably.

And the fiance's identity has been revealed! Though I'm guessing most people probably figured it out on their own, I'm not too good at keeping things concealed...

Concerning Chibiusa's age, again I'm going with the anime continuity, in which she is six years old and the reason the Neo-Silver Millennium is in the 30th Centruy is due to the planet being frozen for about a thousand years before Sailor Moon was able to heal it with the Crystal. The manga continuity has it that although she physically looks 6 and has the mentality of that age, she is in actuality about 900, as the Crystal has given the Earth's inhabitants incredibly long lifespans, resulting in them aging slower.

I really don't know if it was ever revealed in the series specifically why Sesshoumaru hates InuYasha, beyond the simple fact that he is a _hanyou_. However, from what I know of the events of Swords of an Honorable Ruler (which I should really probably actually WATCH since I DO have it on DVD, I just haven't gotten around to watching it...), I would think he would largely hold Izayoi and InuYasha responsible for Inu-no-Taishou's death, and it would contribute to why he hates his brother so much.

This chapter's theme is 'Garnet' by Aqua Timez. (Also, the previous chapter's is 'First Kiss' by ICHIKO. I forgot to put it in there. Gomen! -_- )

As usual, I will end my notes with some responses to reviews, starting with Atea-chan's.

_1)So Serena's finally remembered that she had a... romantic relationship with_

_Inuyasha? Hmmm, I'm surprised she was so... blunt when she told Inuyasha to_

_kiss her..._

Normally, she's not the type to be blunt like that. But she'd been dropping hints for months, including that one moments before, and InuYasha was too oblivious to pick up on them. So she finally got fed up and just straight out said what she was thinking.

_2) That does make sense. But wouldn't Saturn have several somewhat weaker_

_attacks than her ability to blow up an entire planet? That way she could_

_protect her princess without the risk of going KA-BOOM with whatever planet_

_she's on, and she won't have to really on her glaive..._

Canonically, it depends on what continuity you're viewing. In the manga, she is able to use Silence Glaive Surprise like the other Senshi's attacks, but it's more a support skill, working similar to Mercury's Shabon Spray/Bubble Blast. In the anime however (the continuity I'm following, with a few exceptions), her only known offensive skills (Silence Glaive Surprise and Death Reborn Revolution) are a double-edged sword. They call upon the power of death, and invoking them costs her her life. The only power she is able to use is Silent Wall, a defensive skill.

_3) "Best kept for later?" You don't mean he's trying to find a way to bring_

_the Inners under his control, right? ! It's bad enough that he has the Outers!_

_! If he gets the other scouts, Serena, Inuyasha and the other won't stand a_

_chance against them! ! Not to mention what it'll do to poor Serena..._

He certainly intends to try, though it remains to be seen if he will be successful.

_4)The Shikon Jewel and the Silver Crystal are equal in power? I highly doubt_

_that. True the Jewel of Four Souls is powerful, but I can't imagine it being_

_as powerful as the Silver Crystal. I mean, if Serena had used that Jewel_

_instead of the Crystal in her battles with Beryl & Metallia; the Doom Phantom;_

_Pharaoh 90; and Chaos, would she have been able to defeat them as if she were_

_using the Crystal? I can't see that happening. I can imagine the Jewel having_

_about... a quarter... maybe half of the power the Silver Crystal has. I mean,_

_the Crystal is an ancient relic meant to protect the Moon Kingdom, right? And_

_the Jewel was created pretty much by accident or a sheer whim of fate when_

_Midoriko sacrificed herself to stop all those demons.._

There is a very long-winded response to this posted in my dA journal, to which there was also a short back-and-forth between Atea-chan and myself elaborating on it. Rather than re-typing it here, I simply defer others to the entry. I would however also like to add an additional point here in conjunction with the points made there: The explanation I gave is purely speculation on my part, as canonically there is no real solid explanation for why the Crystal kills its wielder when used. But any time one of the wielders (either Queen Serenity or Princess Serenity/Usagi/Sailor Moon) was preparing to use it, someone tried to stop them saying they would die if they used it, stating it as a fact, not just a possibility. Next to nothing is given in canon to go on, and I've pieced together what I personally believe to be the truth (my head-canon I suppose you'd call it) based on reading several other theories and summaries of what little is known for sure.

And finally, in response to Sakekuuro's request concerning a side pairing... Let's just say I think you'll be pleased with what I intend to do with later chapters, and possibly a bit with a little of this one. ^.^


End file.
